Casa Malka: An OU Kosher, Additive-Free Tequila With a Female Founder

Two bottles, one house, and a set of choices that are easier to describe than most tequila brands manage.

The House

Casa Malka was founded by Malka Roth and Jayson Winer. The brand is built around its female founder, which is still uncommon in a category that has historically been run by the same handful of families.

Both expressions are made from 100% Blue Weber agave in Jalisco, and both are additive-free.

Additive-Free, and Why the Brand Keeps Saying It

Casa Malka's own explanation is worth reading, because it lands on the practical argument rather than the purist one.

Additive-free means a traditional, transparent process that relies only on flavors that come from the agave itself. Skipping caramel coloring and artificial flavorings keeps the spirit's integrity intact. The brand also makes the hangover argument, which is that fewer added chemicals going in generally means a better morning.

Whether or not you buy that last part, the first part is straightforward: what you taste is the agave and the barrel, not a formulation.

OU Kosher

Both bottles carry OU Kosher certification, from the Orthodox Union, which is the most widely recognized kosher certifying body in the world.

For a distilled spirit this mostly comes down to verifying that every input, every processing aid, and every piece of shared equipment meets the standard, and that an inspector has confirmed it. In practice it functions as a second layer of documentation on top of the tequila regulations, which is part of why the symbol has become a general quality signal well outside of kosher-keeping households.

The Blanco

Unaged, bottled at 40% ABV.

Casa Malka puts it through a filtration and oxygenation process and describes the result as smooth and seamless, and the bottle is double filtered.

That is a real stylistic decision worth understanding. Filtration removes some of the heavier congeners that give a blanco its rougher, more vegetal edges. You lose a little rusticity and you gain a rounder, softer texture. Some people want the rough edges. This bottle is aimed at the people who do not.

The Reposado

Reposado means rested. Under tequila law it is aged in oak for at least two months and less than a year, which is the window between blanco and añejo.

Casa Malka's sits for six months, in former Jack Daniel's barrels, and is also double filtered. The barrel choice matters: American oak that previously held Tennessee whiskey brings vanilla, caramel and a sweeter wood character than a European oak or a sherry cask would.

The producer describes the result as caramel and vanilla forward, which is exactly what that barrel does.

How to Drink Them

The blanco is best lightly chilled in a small glass, or in anything citrus-driven where you want the agave to stay clean rather than compete.

The reposado takes ice comfortably and holds up on its own. Six months is enough oak to give it something to say neat, and not so much that the agave disappears behind it.

Try It at Juraku

Casa Malka Blanco and Reposado are part of the agave selection at Izakaya Juraku, Lower East Side. Check the current menu or ask the bar what is open.