KLF – Kosher Liqueur and Food, is a website that consolidates information on kosher alcohols and various food products in Israel and around the world. It is not a sales site.

The site is divided into two sections: alcoholic beverages and food products.

Alcohol

Orthodox Jews do not consume products without a kosher seal (with the exception of certain products written on lists provided by certified kosher organizations). However, for some reason, there is a breach in the market for alcohol, and even devout Orthodox Jews neglect this area of kosher-observance and consume banned wine, or milk that was left without supervision, or liquors with patently non-kosher ingredients.

The KLF website was created to provide the information necessary to avoid misunderstandings and to educate consumers about potential problems in this area.

The information provided by the site for alcohol (excluding whiskey) comes from the collection of data gleaned from documents created by approved rabbinic courts around the world. This includes lists with specific names and brands of alcoholic products and catalogs with general guidelines. Our website also delineates the name of the rabbinic organization that gives a kosher certification or approves a certain product.

It is advisable to check the original site from which our information is gleaned in order to confirm that the published date is still up to date. As well, it should be noted that at times the websites provides certain material based on barcodes: data that does not appear in the original publication produced by a given rabbinic organization. In this case, the veracity of this information is the sole responsibility of KLF. Additionally, the KLF website is not responsible for incorrect copying or updating errors.

Whiskey – Leading Halachic authorities (Poskim) deemed whiskey aged in wine barrels to be kosher. For example, it was assumed to be obvious that the American Kentucky Straight Bourbon is strictly kosher. However, much of the public did not know how to apply the underlying principal for this permit to other types of whiskey.

Rabbi Shmuel Semelman Shlita has undertaken a colossal project   in the matter, and after years of labor has achieved the task of classifying all the varieties of whiskey available in the market according to established halachic protocols.

Additionally, KLF uses a rating system that ranges from: “Suitable for mehadrin consumers”, to: “Not recommended, but kosher according to a number of halachic authorities”. Notwithstanding, it should be noted that all types of whiskey with a kosher approval that appear on the website are approved by reputable authorities in the field of kashrut. The confirmation of this information was carried out by Rabbi Shmuel Semelman after consultation with leading rabbis in Israel.

Rabbi Semelman Shlita, Director of the Alcohol Department and the Kosher Department at the Jerusalem Rabbinate is the current director of the site.