Rabbinate sees red over Johnnie Walker Black Label imports

Kosher status of renowned brand is questioned

Scotland’s most popular whisky is at the centre of a furious row in Israel over its kosher status.

The Chief Rabbinate, the supreme spiritual authority for Jews in Israel, has claimed vast quantities of Johnnie Walker whisky in the country feature unauthorised kosher certifications.

Now the Jewish authority has warned followers that many bottles of the whisky – the most widely distributed brand of the spirit in the world – are off limits.

Two companies are licensed to import Johnnie Walker Black Label into Israel.

Israel Beer Breweries Ltd Spirits (IBBLS) paid to have kosher inspectors fly to Scotland to verify the production processes of their bottles are in line with kosher standards. Rival Paneco has not carried out its own checks but declares the whisky is kosher on its labels.

That has earned it the wrath of the Chief Rabbinate, which urged a boycott of Paneco-supplied Johnnie Walker.

Paneco has hit back, saying its product is the same as that inspected by IBBLS and therefore should inherit the same kosher qualification.

A spokesman said: “All products sold on Paneco.com are completely and solely original.

“The Johnnie Walker whisky products sold on the site are created by the primary manufacturer at the Diageo distillery in Scotland and is the exact same product being marketed by a competing company in Israel that holds the kosher certification for the product.”

Established in 1820 in Kilmarnock, the Johnnie Walker brand is one of Scotland’s most recognizable products, with 130 million bottles sold annually.

The brand is owned by drinks giant Diageo and a company spokesman said last night: “Our scotch whisky brands are world famous for their quality, craftsmanship and heritage.

“We sell scotch whisky in over 180 markets around the world and so recognise that our brands touch a very diverse set of consumers. While we are happy to share information about our brands, we respect that consumers themselves must choose whether to enjoy scotch whisky according to their own circumstances.

“We don’t comment on issues relating to third party distributors but it must be stressed that there is no question about the quality and provenance of any of our scotch whisky brands.”