M&H or Milk and Honey is located in south Tel Aviv. It is a neighbourhood that lives and breathes hightech and start ups. M&H whisky embraces this to the full, rarely shirking an opportunity to try something new.
For example, I point in the direction of their Apex range. The pomegranate cask is an absolute rich delight, coming in various strengths from around 57% upwards. And the Dead Sea bottlings, the result of rapid maturation at the lowest point in the world, have left me wanting more every time. I have read that a new batch is due out soon.
Thanks to Nir K, I was able to taste a sample of their exclusive bottling for the 6th anniversary of the Northern Whisky Society. I am very grateful as this is something that combines much of what I like best. You can check out some of the society’s old videos on the internet,
First, I suggest that the original casks are bourbon from Islay, but definitely finished off in a fortified port cask. Peated malt in Israel is typically either imported, or the flavour is derived from a cask has been purchased that previously contained a peated offering.
Second, the bottle was released at a very attractive 60.8%, having been matured for 46 months. Obviously non coloured and non chill-filtered, this rapidly answered all my snobbish demands.
Best of all, it is not one of those ‘sherry bombs’ from Glendronach or similar. The content is far too complex than that. Not everyone likes the combination of wine and peat and so I was a tad anxious before the tasting session.
Nose: I caught oriental spices – back to my grandmother’s cooking. The port was already coming through, tempered by some light smoke.
Palate: Plenty of dark fruits – plums, apricots. Very enjoyable.
Finish: This was a bit disappointing, A bit too quick for my liking.
I did try adding water. On the nose, this brought out some citrus notes. Overall, I felt it was sipped better ‘neat’, although this could have been because it was the final dram available.
Would I buy this again? As I wrote, it was a gift and it is a lonely cask. Would I buy something similar? I have no price indication, but I would definitely consider it, and it would be something I would offer to guests that can appreciate different whiskies. (Thanks Nir).
