Milk and Honey 4yo 2019/2023

Milk and Honey 4yo 2019/2023

#4, The Heart Cut
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Red
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pomegranate molasses, raisins, dried cranberries, blackcurrant cordial, allspice, dates, black pepper. With water, honey, cocoa nibs, blackcurrant cordial. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pomegranate molasses, dried cranberries, maraschino cherries, salt caramel, butterscotch, allspice. With water, blackcurrant cordial, cocoa nibs, dried cranberries, strawberry jam. 
Finish: Medium. Maraschino cherries, dates, dried cranberries, strawberry jam, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Really fruity and sweet. Excellent whisky, absolutely delicious and flavourful. Lots of cherry and cranberry notes, and water opens it up to something really jammy and chocolatey. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Milk and Honey 3yo 2017 Ex Islay Cask Finish (TWE Exclusive)

Milk and Honey 3yo 2017 Ex Islay Cask Finish (TWE Exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Bronze
66.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sultanas, lemon juice, malted grains, smoke, cedar, wet stones, leather. With water, sultanas, lemon juice, toffee, hints of new plastic. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, volatile, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Sultanas, mint, sea salt, smoke, peat, cedar, honey, charcoal ash, hints of white pepper. With water, malted grains, condensed milk, smoke. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, smoke, peat, leather, honey. 

Comments: 

Well now, this is ashy and woody, not quite Islay but not quite… well, whatever Milk and Honey is. Lots of spice in the finish too. It’s a bit young, but interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Apex Pomegranate Wine Cask Batch 008

Milk and Honey Apex Pomegranate Wine Cask Batch 008

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Dark copper
59.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberries, cloves, honey, cinnamon, golden syrup, pomegranate molasses, hints of damson jam. With water, orange peel, cinnamon, toast, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cloves, orange peel, pomegranate molasses, strawberries, damson jam, dark chocolate. With water, toast, dark chocolate, strawberries, damson jam. 
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, strawberries, damson jam, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Quite intense and sweet, lots of spice and spirity sweetness. Complex despite its young age. Lots of fruit which fades to a salty, bitter finish. Surprisingly good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Milk and Honey Classic

Milk and Honey Classic

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, cooked rice, wet stones, brown paper, watermelons, white grapes, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Toffee, pear drops, raisins, white grapes, wet stones, caramel, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Honey, toffee, caramel, raisins, hints of white grapes. 

Comments: 

Entry level expression from Milk and Honey. It’s taken a while to get here, as it always does for new distilleries. Minerally and sweet, lots of fruit and toffee. It’s decent, complex for a NAS malt.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Single Cask 3yo 2018/2021 Red Wine Cask UK Exclusive

Milk and Honey Single Cask 3yo 2018/2021 Red Wine Cask UK Exclusive

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Amber red
66.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, raisins, brown paper, cinnamon, strawberry laces, honeycomb, hints of pomegranates. With water, caramel, butterscotch, pomegranates, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Red grapes, orange peel, malted grains, new plastic, honeycomb, blueberries, aluminium foil. With water, new plastic, honeycomb, malted grains, aluminium foil, black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Aluminium foil, black pepper, honeycomb, malted grains, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask 2018-553. Much more fruity than the sherry cask. In fact I’d say this was sherried, if I hadn’t seen the label. Sweet and strong, takes a lot of water, and even then I couldn’t really finish it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Elements Sherry Cask

Milk and Honey Elements Sherry Cask 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, aluminium foil, honey, orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon, pencils, hints of pear drops. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pomeloes, vanilla sponge, pear drops, aluminium foil, raisins, pineapples, pencils. 
Finish: Short. Orange peel, cinnamon, ink, honey. 

Comments: 

Not your usual sherry cask whisky, it’s quite feinty and floral. A number of quite spicy notes too. It’s unusual, and I’ve come to expect that from this distillery. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Apex Batch 4

Milk and Honey Apex Batch 4

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Bronze gold
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Milk, yoghurt, pineapples, cream, lime zest, brown paper, white grapes, hints of papayas. With water, dark chocolate, fresh baked bread, oats, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Liquorice, white grapes, cream, pineapples, lime zest, sandalwood, hints of fresh baked bread. With water, ink, lime zest, yoghurt, liquorice. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, papayas, lime zest, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Rum cask finished whisky. Lots of fruit and slightly funky cream. There’s a minty liquorice note that is quite attractive. Water thins it out to something citrusy and slightly metallic.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Young Single Malt

Milk and Honey Young Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, smoke, leather, charcoal powder, raisins, hints of cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, warming. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Raisins, fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge, charcoal powder, eat, orange peel, applesauce. 
Finish: Short. Peanuts, leather, orange peel, vanilla sponge. 

Comments: 

It might be that this dram is less than 3 years old, as the word 'whisky' is suspiciously absent from the label. Oddly peaty and leathery on the nose, there's also an ashy hint of charcoal. It's sweeter on the tongue, even fruity, but the ashy charcoal note is still there. Very interesting indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey Single Cask (Whisky Show 2019 exclusive)

Milk and Honey Single Cask (Whisky Show 2019 exclusive)

Official bottling
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Amber
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, dark chocolate, orange peel, red grapes, fresh baked bread, hints of fried eggs. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, walnuts, bitter orange, dark chocolate, coffee, raisins, hints of fried eggs. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, walnuts, coffee, red grapes, hints of yeast. 

Comments: 

This is promising - highly sherried, plenty of bitter notes even so, with a smidgen of good sulphur on the nose. It's still bitter on the tongue, but plenty of intriguing flavours, and still that smidgen of good sulphur. Finally in the nose, I can detect something yeasty, it's definitely the cousin of the new make.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milk and Honey New Make Single Malt

Milk and Honey New Make Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Tel Aviv
Colourless
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yeast, malt vinegar, plums, hibiscus, jute sacks, hints of aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, mouth coating, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, apples, malt vinegar, hibiscus, fresh baked bread, aluminium foil, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. Plums, yeast, jute sacks, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

A first for me - Israeli single malt whisky! This is new make of course, so it's slightly unfair to judge it too harshly. There are interesting notes - fruit, something tart, something metallic, and a yeasty, sour note. Also something dusty and vegetal, which smells like jute sacks full of uncooked rice...

Verdict:

Not bad.