M&H Distillery Apex Series Dead Sea Whisky
M&H Distillery - formerly Milk & Honey - is one of my favorite distilleries outside of the big 5 whisky-producing countries (US, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Japan). The base malt whisky is solid, but what makes the distillery unique are the finishes and cask management used to elevate that whisky into something extraordinary.
Situated in Tel Aviv, Israel, M&H was a Jim Swan-influenced project that makes maximum use of what Dr. Swan called the five climate zones in Israel: the Dead Sea, Upper Galilee, Jerusalem mountains, the Negev desert, and the western coastline. In a country the size of New Jersey, drivable from top to bottom in 3-4 hours, there is such variation that you’ll find everything from vast arid deserts to deep-rooted wineries and lush vegetation.
M&H takes these environs and plays with them in their Apex series. The Dead Sea release is the eighth in the series, combining 60 casks worth of whisky: 20 casks each of ex-bourbon, ex-STR casks (an invention and favorite of Dr. Swan), and ex-red wine barrels. These 60 barrels were aged for a full year adjacent to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at nearly 1400 feet below sea level. With 25% angel’s share, the whisky couldn’t be aged there the whole time (for reference, average annual loss to the angels in Scotland is 2%, reaching 3-4% in Kentucky). For the final two years, the casks were brought back to the relatively temperate climes of Tel Aviv.
Of course, the Dead Sea isn’t just the lowest place on Earth - it’s also incredibly salty. Average seawater is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt) of salinity, according to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The Dead sea is 8-10 times that, depending on the source (BBC Science goes as high as 10x, while the University of Hawaii keeps it at 8x). This is enough for humans to float without activity and let you know every place on your body with the tiniest cut. Amazingly, this isn’t even the “saltiest” sea - that title belongs to the nearby Red Sea, which features many of the same characteristics: high temperature and evaporation paired with low inflow of fresh water.
Bringing it back to the whisky: the first year of aging is, in my opinion, the most influential of a whisky’s life. The first year consistently shows the highest angel’s share across the world as the whisky permeates the wood, eventually reaching an equilibrium whereby water (or alcohol, depending on the humidity and climate) is released through the wood’s pores at a more regular pace. By aging this whisky by the Dead Sea for its first year rather than its final year, for example, I believe the whisky gained more climatic influence than it would have had the process been flipped. Call it a starting rather than a finishing.
The result is a fantastic whisky, one of the best I’ve tried this year and one of the more unique profiles I’ve ever had. Try to imagine the smell of sea salt without the taste entering your mouth and you’ll have some idea of this whisky’s complexity. The various casks involved are a hallmark of Dr. Swan, whose most enduring legacies are both evident here: innovative wood management and integrating long-standing Scottish technique with the local products, traditions, and realities. The same can be seen with Amrut and Kavalan, two other Swan-influenced distilleries that by necessity and reality can’t make a 10-15 year old whisky due to their hot environments.
M&H Dead Sea doesn’t taste like scotch, nor like a scotch aged in Israel or by a salty sea. It tastes like its own entity, built on the distillery’s malt profile and paired with its unique climatological circumstances. A saltiness without salt; a chocolaty back-end with little cocoa; creamy oak with only a brief, if intense, astringency despite how far the whisky must have been pushed into the wood by the 50ºC (122ºF) heat. It tastes finished, with the vinous notes (ostensibly from the red wine casks) carrying through from palate to finish. It’s simply divine, and I’m glad I went right out and purchased one of the 4,892 bottles available. If you can find one by you, don’t hesitate. Grab it.
M&H Distillery Apex Series Dead Sea Whisky: Specs
Classification: Israeli Single Malt Whisky
Origin: M&H Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 112.4 (56.2% ABV)
Age: 3+ Years Old (June 24, 2018 - July 4, 2021)
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
M&H Distillery Apex Series Dead Sea Whisky Price: $99.99
M&H Distillery Apex Series Dead Sea Whisky Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Green iced tea. Thin rims, droplets and no legs.
Nose: Sweet, slightly peppery malt. The smell of sea salt without the saltiness, if that can be a thing. Milk-to-semisweet chocolate, some proof opening late. Vinous notes, like a cognac, flow out of the glass.
Palate: Barrel char and intense astringency, sweet and salty and slightly bitter like a dark pretzel crust. Sweeter than expected, the vinous cognac notes continuing from the nose. The mouthfeel is prickly and, frankly, huge on the tongue and palate, managing to be full yet effervescent, settling int he corners of my mouth as a more subtle chocolate undertone.
Finish: Medium length, that sea air still lingering above the chocolate.
Overall: I’m still amazed this isn’t technically finished. That viscous, vinous cognac note is present from start to finish. It’s one of the sweeter malts I’ve had recently - I expected oak to dominate and sea salt to be just as intense, yet each part is balanced into a powerful whole. Exceptional.
Final Rating: 8.3
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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