M&H Distillery, short for Milk & Honey, is Israel's first whisky distillery. Located in Tel Aviv, they teamed up with US distributor ImPex Beverages for a booth at 2021's Whiskies of the World San Francisco. With six bottles on the offer this year, we have tastings for five of them to share with you today (the only one we didn't taste was the M&H Levantine Gin ). Let's dive in and see what they had to show us!
M&H Classic
This single malt is aged in ex-bourbon casks and red-wine STR casks, demonstrating the influence of the late distiller and M&H advisor Dr. Jim Swan. Light ethanol is met with a little sweetness on the nose, balanced by sour notes as well. I felt the sweetness continued into the palate, though my companion Bob also discovered a heavy spice if it's passed underneath the tongue where it exhibits more heat. The finish is medium-short, mostly composed of the space that started on the palate.
M&H Elements Sherry Cask
Aged in kosher Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, this was our first taste of the M&H Elements series. The nose is very light, maybe a mild sweetness under the ethanol. The palate is nice and smooth, with a sweetness that cools the tongue. It passes quickly, however, leading into a short finish with a little spice. The overall experience is quick but pleasant, though perhaps lacking in complexity.
M&H Elements Peated Cask
Matured in peated Islay casks, this single malt appears to be a blend also featuring their ex-bourbon classic malt. The high ethanol on the nose overpowers any more subtle notes, indicating this may need to breathe a bit longer than most whiskies. The light mouthfeel yields peat without leaning into it too strongly, evoking thoughts of a smoked tri-tip. The finish is extremely short, without any discernible notes.
M&H Apex Fortified Wine Cask
Exclusively available in the United States, this expression from the M&H Apex series is matured in fortified Israeli red wine casks. The nose mixes smokiness with essence of brown sugar. The palate is extremely spicy, yielding a heat that begs for a drop of water to unveil its complexities. The finish is short, mostly just fading away after that onslaught of heat.
Single Cask Nation M&H 3 Year
While the nature of a single cask series means the pour we tasted may be different from the bottles you might find at your retailer, we'll still give you our thoughts on this exploration into age statements from the fairly young M&H Distillery. The nose is a complex mix of coffee, dark chocolate, and sea breeze, without any note being too overpowering or unbalanced. The palate instantly brings out lots of caramel notes (and not much else), yielding to a brief burnt caramel spice on the finish.
M&H is a young distillery, but it's clear they're dedicated to exploring a wide variety of expressions as they set out to establish Israeli whisky as a player on the world stage. With each bottle representing a very different flavor profile, I'm finding it hard to select a personal favorite. One thing that's clear is that M&H have many exciting offerings to come, and we should keep an eye out for them to impress in the future!