Milk and Honey Distillery Cask Bottle

In the lead-up to Passover, I have, in the past, for no particular reason, reviewed a Japanese whisky before I seal up my cabinet. In 2020 I reviewed the first standard release from the Milk and Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv. This year, I decided to do a series of reviews from my open collection of whiskies from the distillery.

I visited Milk and Honey Distillery in 2019, and took many notes and photographs. You can read about it here:

connosr.com/milk-and-honey-israel-the-next…

After completing 3 reviews in an order designed to culminate at the “Apex”, I realized I had left out 2 expressions which should have come first… newmake and a less than 3 year old expression. So I did those yesterday. I have two left, and time is running short. Tomorrow will be a long day at work and Tuesday I make gefilte fish, so the house will reek (and not peat reek). Ideally I wanted to end with the APEX series expression, so I am reviewing this one today. I don’t think I will make it to the last one before the cabinet is closed for the duration, so a self-bottling at the distillery is a good way to end.

One of the last things I did at the distillery when I visited in December 2019 was to fill my own bottles. I chose to fill 2 - one to open and share and the other to keep as a souvenir. The barrel had previously held an Islay whisky, and the spirit contained within it was three and a half years old. So, technically a 3 YO, but in such a hot climate 6 months can make a big difference. This was the 179th bottle filled from this cask. I also have the 180th. It was filled on December 24, 2019, opened October 10, 2020, with my nephew, and gassed after each pour. The last time I tasted it was June 2, 2021, and it is just under half full.

This expression is reviewed in my usual manner, in a Brilliant Highland whisky glass, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting.

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Just a note on the appearance. I rarely comment on it but when I was looking at bottle 180 I noticed there were particles suspended in the liquid, and a closer look at the open bottle reviewed below revealed a haziness. This is what you get when you bottle straight from the cask, without a filter in sight.

Nose: 21.5/25

Fruity, sweet. I get a hint of peat and grapefruit. With time in the peat becomes a little more complex. It has an effervescent quality to it. Smells slightly dusty as well. Water opens up the nose, bringing out the fruit. The peat recedes to just a wisp. (22/25)

Taste: 22/25

Sweet arrival, with pepper and spices. Fruit, citrus pith, caramel. In a way it reminds me of the first time I experienced Springbank 12 YO CS. This is a rough whisky, but in a good way. It grabs your palate and challenges it. With water the palate is richer, peat becomes more prominent. I get a chocolate note. (22.5/25)

Finish: 21.5/25

Peppery, astringent. Between the oak tannins and the peat, my mouth became parched with a few sips. Water makes the finish more astringent, hints of citrus pith early on.

Balance: 22/25

The nose and the palate complement each other. This is a fairly well-balanced whisky. Water brings out a lot of flavour. (22.5/25)

Score: Neat - 87/100 With Water: 88.5/100

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This is a solid whisky. Although it is a single cask, it is proof that the distillery can put out high quality whisky.

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I don’t think that I’ll be able to fit in another review before Passover this year. But just as we finish of the traditional Passover Seder with the statement “Next year in Jerusalem”, perhaps we can say “Next year, Milk and Honey Apex Pomegranate Cask.”