Milk & Honey Pomegranate Cask
Apex Series | 57.2% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Going outside of what you know can often yield surprises; such as this
A Genuine Surprise
For all the talk of the rise of World Whiskies (for want of a better term) and quality malt being produced from all corners of the globe, we remain stubbornly loyal. When off to buy a bottle or two (or three, or four…) most single malt aficionados I know remain locked into a search of Scotch labels.
Of course this is with good reason. Scotch malt whisky has been the standard for the better part of two centuries. The vast majority of people enamored with the flavour of single and blended malts were raised on, and remain loyal to, brands that come from Caledonia.
I have different members of my family as well as friends that are associated with different brands. For example, if Uncle Walter comes over, I know he prefers a dram of Macallan. My buddy’s grandfather was a Bell’s man. An older colleague of mine from Connecticut would partake only if the bottle in front of him was a Famous Grouse.
Personally, as I started my whisky journey, there was no brand loyalty. My Mother did not drink whisky, and if she ever did have an alcoholic beverage (maybe two or three times in a year) it was roughly a finger and a half of Kaluha in a juice glass with an ice cube…and after a few sips, she would laugh saying she couldn’t feel her legs.
Unlike my Mother, my Father enjoyed spirits, and I have memories of him with various drinks in hand at various times. However, it was whisky he would turn to as a salve after a particularly stressful day of work. Yet I don’t recall a particular brand he preferred. As I remember, there were blends that would interchange such as Cutty Sark and Dewar’s. I mention this as I, unlike some of my whisky pals, did not start down the whisky rabbit hole with a preferred brand handed down or ingrained by parental suggestion.
Also, I am blessed to have started my whisky journey when it did, as the blossoming (at that time) of YouTube channels and whisky exploration and discussion began to gain broad traction. I learned about Scottish malts, Japanese whiskies, American single malts and more. There was no single port in which to dock, and I enjoyed (and still do enjoy) experiencing the variety; while there are certain distilleries that are preferred, I still do not have a favorite whisky.
As the old Whiskey Tribe mantra says: “the ‘best’ whisk(e)y is the whiskey you like to drink, the way you like to drink it.” As a fan of libertarianism, that mantra resonates with me. This, coupled with the fact that my parents instilled in me a healthy dose of inquisitiveness and questioning narratives, which may explain my whisky curiosity.
Scotch malts certainly were the gateway for my journey, but I am loath to dismiss out of hand most anything without giving it a fair shake. I am glad I did not listen to the chorus of old timers – when I first embarked down the whisky rabbit hole – who would chastise me for spending money on bottles that were not from the usual suspects in Scotland.
With that, as I started down the path of sampling and investigating whisky, I was keen to absorb knowledge and try a wide array of brands and expressions, single and blended malts, different grains, and liquid from different countries.
Roughly three years ago, I began reading about Milk & Honey; a whiskey distillery from Israel. I was intrigued. Two years ago, I managed to pick up a bottle of its “Elements” sherry cask expression. I reviewed it in May 2023 and gave it a 6/10 – I was happy to have stepped away from the usual single malt suspects and been rewarded with a nice bottle. For a new and upcoming distillery, the liquid was promising and I wondered how the distillate and offerings in years to come would develop. I had hoped this would be a new, world whisky on the rise that I would follow over time.
As I went through the bottle and for a while after, I spoke of Milk & Honey positively. However, after a short time the distillery seemed as if it was a flash in the pan. Here and gone. Despite it winning the “World’s Best Single Malt” from the World Whisky Awards in 2023, I didn’t see much more of it where I lived in Connecticut. Nor did I hear much of this distillery in the whisky circles in which I swim. Talk of Milk & Honey whisky on the interwebs has been scant (at least what I have seen). As such, the thoughts of Milk & Honey have not been in my focus for some time, but the distillery was always in the back filing cabinets of my brain.
I had mentioned previously that this past October, Mrs. Shaw and I made a dash for the free liquor state of South Carolina. And, we made good use of the time and sourced a number of bottles. Among the bottles that I purchased is the one I am reviewing here.
There, wedged between two ubiquitous and large volume expressions of Scotch single malt whisky, I spotted the box of this Milk & Honey. I would imagine – based on the number of bottles that were behind this one – that many people looked past this bottle because (1) the label and brand name was something they were not accustomed to seeing, and/or (2) it wasn’t a Scotch single malt. This is a shame, as it appears many folks don’t take the time to peruse the aisles, examine new and different labels, and keep an open mind.
Maybe I am painting with a broad brush, but in contrast to the six or seven of these Milk & Honey boxes on the shelf, to the left was one box of Laphroaig 10 and on the right were two Highland Park 12s. Both of those Scotch whiskies (40% ABV and 43% ABV, respectively) pale in comparison to this 57.2% offering that is also not coloured and is non-chill filtered. And yet, it was the Milk & Honey that appeared overlooked and ignored.
I was very happy to pick up the box and examine it. The sherry cask Elements Series bottle that I drained and reviewed two years ago was a pleasant pour. That Elements series was 46% ABV, and this Apex series bottling logs in with more than 10 points higher ABV. As it went into the cart, I did have a few moments of hesitation seeing the price tag, but into the cart it went, nonetheless. I reflected on the thoughts I had when I reviewed the M&H Elements sherry expression. In particular, I remember how I had hoped that this young distillery would see its whiskies get better and better over time.
Leaving the Laphroaig 10s and Highland Park 12s of the world behind, I left the store with some anticipation to see if my hopes for this distillery had come to fruition.
Review
Milk & Honey Pomegranate Wine Cask, Batch 014, 3yo, Apex Series, 57.2% ABV
US$95 (£78) paid.
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Going outside of what you know can often yield surprises; such as this
Nose
The nose is almost akin to a bourbon with a malt-heavy mashbill: vanillas, cashews, dates and toffee. Caramel latte with steamed milk. Nilla Wafers. There’s an herbal quality lingering in the background…I can’t put my finger on it. I am trying to find any fruit from the wine cask here, but if it is present it is all but the slightest of wafts. Subtle. No alcohol flames burning my nostrils despite its 57.2% ABV.
Palate
The initial hit of vanilla and molasses is met with tart blackberry jam and the warmth and prickle reminding me that this is, in fact, a high octane dram. Semi-ripe plums. Cashew butter. A bit of a petrichor sensation. Mid-palate there is a latte note; creamy coffee. Cardamom and nutmeg. Sharp spice. The fruit has morphed. Citrus rind. Some bitter chocolate. Pipe tobacco, orange marmalade, clove, and pepper linger into a lovely, long finish.
Adding a small dose of water smooths out the ethanol prickle, but does not diminish nor dull the flavors. Here – and, granted, I was sparing in my water dosing – a bit of water simply allowed the flavors to show without the same alcohol sharpness. And, again, that finish of pipe tobacco, marmalade, and spice goes on and on.
The Dregs
This is a flavourful and tasty dram. As noted above, I don’t have a recall of pomegranate so perhaps my articulation skills with the nose and palate are a bit awkward for those of you familiar with the fruit.
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon casks for the first two and a half years, and then finished in pomegranate wine casks for six months. The two types of casks have left their mark with this whisky. The bourbon notes of vanilla and toffee are clearly evident on the nose as well as the foundation of the palate. The pomegranate wine, it would seem, has provided the fruity, petrichor, tobacco, and spice layers on the palate.
I have gone through roughly half of the bottle at this point, and I have had varying degrees of interaction with the ABV that I have not had with other bottles. Quite frankly, the first pour or two after opening the bottle, the ABV was a prickly beast that dominated my tongue and palate. Since then, the liquid has tempered a bit, but the prickle is still there. After getting well past the shoulders of the bottle, it became apparent to me that the best results, for me, would come with adding a few drops of water. Not too much, but those few drops really do the trick. The ethanol is tamed a bit, but those flavors are seemingly untouched and allowed to shine.
There are layers of flavor to dissect here between the ex-bourbon cask influence and the pomegranate wine cask influence. Interesting, complimentary, and rather tasty. As opposed to the Elements sherry cask, which was nice but much more simple, there is much more with the bottle before me. Clearly, it is not unexpected to have such a difference with the variance of ABV, but I wonder if there is also something attributable to changes/refinements/improvements in distillate. This pomegranate wine cask dram has a fuller, richer, more “chewy”, if you will, character. Also, the difference in the finish is night and day. Here, with the Apex pomegranate wine cask dram, the finish of vanilla, marmalade, tobacco, and spice lingers on and on.
While I am enjoying this bottle, there was my initial reticence with the price. I am not demanding this bottle be half its listing price – as is often said, we want whisky that is fairly priced, not necessarily “cheap.” I am aware that this offering had to, literally, make its way from the Middle East to land in my hands. I am also aware that this is not some watered-down shadow of an offering. And so, while I initially had my qualms about paying $95.00 USD for this bottle, in comparing it to other cask strength offerings of quality, any thought that this bottle was unnecessarily over-priced was quickly dispelled. A quick comparison to cask strength bottles of quality in my area (or, at least in outlets in South Carolina) look like this:
Aberlour A’Bunadh 57.1% ABV $134.00 USD
Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength 55.8% ABV $130.00 USD
Highland Park Cask Strength 64.1% ABV $115.00 USD
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength 58.5% ABV $115.00 USD
GlenAllachie 10 Year Cask Strength 57.2% ABV $100.00 USD
Tamdhu Batch Strength 55.8% ABV $99.00 USD
Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2% ABV $93.00 USD
No doubt, I would prefer not to spend nearly $100 USD for a bottle of whisky, but it is certainly not out of the range of what is the norm in today’s market.
This bottle has re-kindled my appreciation of Milk & Honey distillery, and I look forward with quiet anticipation to what will come in the years ahead. The whisky distillery from Israel is on the map and has proven itself to me with the quality of its liquid. I understand supply chain issues as well as distribution concerns, but (as with other distilleries from around the world) I am frustrated that I can’t find more bottles from this distillery. But, of course, that would make things too easy…and I do like a good bottle hunt.
The score here is the same as the Elements sherry cask, but don’t let that fool you. While the Elements sherry cask was also a 6/10, I can – in retrospect after having so many more whisky experiences – firmly say that it was a lower 6/10. This Apex pomegranate wine cask is a high 6/10 and I struggled with the score, at times, not being a 7. On the one hand no doubt this has given me real pleasure, and I consider it to be very worthy of your time. (Characteristics of a 7/10). However, to be a 7/10 it must be “well above average”. It is above average, but I can’t quite say it is well above average. As such, this is a high 6/10 – good stuff that is encouraged as a solid purchase. Splitting hairs? Maybe, but all being said, this is a good dram of interesting flavours.
And to the folks at Milk & Honey - I am impressed.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
-
Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.
Other opinions on this:
Whiskybase
The Whiskey Vault (video)
Just Whisky (video)
Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.
