Milk & Honey Apex Series Pomegranate Wine Cask - 59.5%
Located in a small neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, Milk & Honey were the first whisky distillery in Israel. The hot, Mediterranean climate and almost limitless sunshine allows for quicker maturation, although they still follow the traditional three year rule.
Alongside a typical core range of casks including ex- bourbon casks, ex-red wine casks and STR, the distillery also like to experiment with interesting new types of cask such as pomegranate wine and kosher sherry.
From the distillery
The M&H Apex is a culmination of years of work and research that exemplifies our spirit of innovation and creativity. Driven by boldness and an aspiration to reach new heights, we composed our apex - an exclusive opportunity of limited editions.
A bottle of M&H Apex is an exploration of places and matters: our Head Distiller, Tomer Goren, specifically selects exceptional casks for each batch, chosen for their distinct location of maturation or to showcase the magic of wood and terroir.
This small batch, single malt whisky was aged in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in fortified style pomegranate wine casks for a period of six months. The unique pomegranate fruit offers this whisky Its exceptional flavors.
Non chilled filter. Natural color. Only 2570 bottles produced.
Aroma: Ripe pomegranate, followed by a swirl of rich vanilla, roasted coffee and butterscotch. Strong earthiness, accompanied by notes of orris root, spearmint and freshly baked sour apple.
Palate: Juicy, with crushed pomegranate grains, dried figs and a bouquet of spicy-sour herbs.
Finish: Long and dry, with a hint of toasted oak, followed by sourdough pretzels with a side of red fruits.
This is an example of the Apex series, a premium range which explores the effects of cask and/or terroir, sometimes in highly innovative ways. This series will vary immensely in its expressions, even cask types which appear similar may yield very different results. In this bottling, M&H wanted to look at the effects a locally produced pomegranate wine cask would have on their spirit.
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which slowly beads to fall as slow, thick legs.
Nose: A little closed at first followed by dark berried fruits, syrupy sweetness, vanilla, orange peel and a damp earth note.
Palate: Dark fruit, ginger spice, and a vegetal, herbal note in the background
Finish: Thick, almost chewy mouthfeel, more of that ginger spice, dark and red berries, ripe fig, a little saltiness and a hint of barrel char. This is a whisky which benefits from a little water as this tones down the spiciness and brings out a savoury note.
Summary: I must admit I've never been a fan of pomegranate, that sweet and perfumed floral combination has never appealed. All of which makes this whisky an extremely pleasant surprise. Although the cask used was from rosé style pomegranate wine, this whisky is thick and full of flavour. Lots of fruit, ginger spice, slightly herbal and a savoury note, it's quite unlike any whisky I've tried before and I have to admit to being rather impressed.
This is a small batch whisky at the premium end of the M&H range, and as such carries a relatively premium price around the £90 mark. However, if you're looking to push your boundaries and try something more unusual, this would more than meet your requirements.
If you would like more information on this whisky, or the Milk & Honey distillery, follow the link to the company website.
