Milk & Honey Elements Peated Cask - 46%
From the distillery website
The M&H Elements series is a composition of flavours and aromas assembled from meticulously selected casks that bring forward characters enhanced by the cask's wood, origin and history.
Each expression in this series is matured in a variety of hand-picked, superlative and quality oak casks, culminating in a beautiful natural colour, impressive flavours and a well-balanced single malt.
The Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. This whisky was matured in casks from Islay, that soaked with smoky aromas and salted flavours, then blended with ex-bourbon barrel aged single malt.
The Elements Peated integrates the fruity notes of the new make into the casks typical Islay peaty notes; the result is a delicate, rather mellow, and lightly peated whisky.
Appearance: Honey gold, forms a thin line which falls as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Cool menthol, vanilla and just the merest hint of peat smoke.
Palate: The peat smoke comes through but it's extremely light, orchard fruit, caramel sweetness, vanilla, slight saltiness and a mild earthy note.
Finish: Caramel, salt, a little cooling menthol and the merest hint of smoke lingers on the palate.
Summary: This is the one M&H malt I’ve tried that I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in. Although described as peated, the influence of combining 50% 40ppm peated, ex-bourbon cask spirit and 50% unpeated spirit from ex-Islay (Ardbeg and Laphroaig) casks is very limited and doesn't really deserve top billing on the label.
Although a very pleasant, easy drinking whisky in it's own right, it just doesn't quite hit the mark and I can't see this one being a hit with the peatheads among us. Priced at around £50, if you want a decent whisky this is worth trying, however if you want a full on peat experience it would probably be better to look elsewhere.
If you would like more information on this whisky, or the Milk & Honey distillery, follow the link to the company website.
