A cracking stash of M&H


October 15, 2025

A cracking stash of M&H

Recent events in the Middle East have given us reason to celebrate — and let’s be honest, such occasions have been rather scarce in recent years. So, we’ll be tasting a few M&H whiskies from Milk & Honey. In fact, quite a few, in true Whiskyfun style. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got in the library...

(Picture M&H)

M&H 2019/2022 'Ex-Rye Casks' (56.7%, OB, APEX, Israel, 2,111 bottles)

We know this kind of light in-cask blending of malt and rye can work rather well. Colour: gold. Nose: it's very dry, led by oak and fresh bread, with the faintest hints of fresh putty in the background. With water: the fruitiness steps forward with dilution, bringing wee pears and a touch of lemon peel, while the rye becomes more vocal too. Bags of green tea. Mouth (neat): very powerful, mostly on oak spices, peppers of all hues and small green fruits, gooseberries, lime, cactus flesh... With water: this is when it's at its most pleasant, fresh, still taut and rather dry, but very clean. Green tea in full bloom and a dab of honey. Finish: quite long and a continuation of the palate. A wee touch of violet in the aftertaste. Comments: very clean and compact, the rye works nicely. In short, we like it.
SGP:451 - 82 points.

M&H 2019/2023 'Madeira Wine Casks' (52.3%, OB, Art & Craft, Israel, 2,466 bottles)

This was a dessert-style Madeira wine, not a dry one. Colour: gold. Nose: much more presence than the rye, with a toasted side reminiscent of botrytis, raisins, hints of bresaola, a touch of camphor and an even lighter menthol... With water: and even faint smoky touches after dilution. Mouth (neat): the Madeira sings loudly but it works, very grapey, very expressive, still with those toasted notes but also a good dose of blood orange. Lovely stuff. With water: no major changes but it was already in fine shape. Finish: the blood orange returns alongside sultanas, with some pepper and black tea. A bitterness appears here, but it's well reined in. Comments: cheerful whisky, rather the opposite of the much more austere ex-rye.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

M&H 2018/2022 'Pomegranate Wine Casks' (57.4%, OB, APEX, Israel, 3,049 bottles)

This one spent the beginning of its life in bourbon, and was finished for six months in some intriguing pomegranate wine casks. I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted anything quite like this... Colour: gold. Nose: well we’re closer to the rye than the Madeira, surprisingly back to something more austere. Oak, putty, leafy notes... With water: citrus peel emerges. Mouth (neat): here comes the fruit! It’s zesty, lemony, plenty of lime and pink pepper. I’m not quite sure I could identify pomegranate wine blind, I must admit... With water: still citrus-led, and that’s very much to our liking. Note to self: track down a bottle of pomegranate wine post-haste. Finish: oranges return, both sweet and bitter. Comments: lovely tension, a delightful surprise.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

M&H 2019/2023 'Tokaji Wine Casks' (52%, OB, Art & Craft, Israel, 1,550 bottles)

One thing’s for certain, Tokaji and peat clash terribly. But there you go, I think this whisky wasn’t peated... Colour: pale gold. Nose: the sweet wine is rather prominent, bringing us closer to Greek muscats, perhaps even orange wine and rose liqueur. Under these conditions, the malt does seem to struggle a bit to assert itself. With water: water changes everything, it becomes better balanced, more malty, more forthright. Mouth (neat): it’s spectacularly fruity and sweet, yet there’s a peppery acidity that keeps it all in check. In the end, it’s really not bad at all, though the Tokaji remains firmly in charge. With water: once again, water brings balance. White grape berries, not necessarily furmint, a lovely honeyed vanilla and even a wee touch of salt... Finish: medium length, soft, very pleasantly fruity. Comments: water is a must; there you have it.
SGP:651 - 83 points.

M&H 2019/2023 'White Port Casks' (53.6%, OB, Art & Craft, Israel, 2,210 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: a faint whiff of sulphur that's not bothersome in the least, and vanishes quickly anyway, then salted butter caramel and quince jelly. With water: psst, just between us, it’s rather like Glenmorangie’s ex-Sauternes, Nectar d'Or. In fact, I dare say it might be a wee bit better, or rather more to my liking. Mouth (neat): very good, much fresher and livelier than expected, on orange liqueur and crème brûlée, with grated candied orange zest. No quibbles. With water: water often settles the matter, and here it brings out all manner of oranges, which we adore. Finish: aged orangecello and mandarins. Comments: my favourite so far.
SGP:641 - 85 points.

M&H 'Hartman's Cigar Blend' (50%, OB, Israel, virgin oak, PX and bourbon, 2024)

Hopefully we’re still allowed to taste this special blend, even if it’s been a long time since we last puffed on a cigar. Colour: deep gold. Nose: bravo. Very malty, closer to barley than all the previous ones, creamier on the nose too, with citrus to be sure, but also herbal infusions, vanilla pod, croissants, brioche — all is well so far. With water: indeed, it’s the citrus, especially tangerines, that lead the dance. Mouth (neat): truly excellent, like a well-made citrus liqueur with very little sugar. We’re miles away from the 'cigar blends' of old, those often heavy-handed things laden with sherry, chocolate, leather and... tobacco. Not here, this is fresh as a daisy. With water: an infusion rich in orange blossom, Earl Grey, and so on... Finish: rather long, a touch more on the wood, but as ever, the citrus straightens everything out. Comments: one almost wants to dig out an old Cuban Dom Pérignon from the humidor to enjoy alongside this splendid little M&H. Well, we’ll think about it.
SGP:641 - 87 points.

I must admit, a slight shiver of apprehension is setting in now...

M&H 2019/2023 'Recioto Wine Casks' (55.1%, OB, Art & Craft, Israel, 2,210 bottles)

I think Recioto is something of a cousin to Amarone, so we’ll approach this one with a touch of caution. Red wine and whisky, you know how it is... Colour: apricot. Nose: strawberry cake, cherry cake, goji berries and panettone. Perhaps the panettone will come to the front once water is added... With water: black pepper. In theory, pepper and strawberry go together beautifully, but theory and practice often don’t see eye to eye. Mouth (neat): it’s well made, it’s just not my thing. Grenadine, pepper, kirsch-soaked cherries and rustic sourdough. With water: it creaks and squeaks on all fronts. A personal take, as always. Finish: strawberry bread, grape seeds and bitter spices — does strawberry bread even exist? Comments: as I was saying, it’s probably well crafted, but it’s not really my cup of malt.
SGP:461 - 75 points.

M&H 'Jerusalem Mountains' (55.4%, OB, APEX Terroir, Israel, 3,285 bottles, 2025)

For this series, terroir refers to where the whisky was matured — in this case at higher altitude, where the climate is gentler than elsewhere in Israel. The concept is somewhat akin to what the Japanese at Mars do with their various ageing cellars. In return, there’s no stated age or vintage here, at least as far as I can tell. Colour: pale gold. Nose: fairly soft vanilla and a few touches of fir bud liqueur, then a little honey, also fir-driven. All quite subtle, but to the point. With water: classic young malt, very well executed, in the style of certain young Scots or indeed Japanese. Mouth (neat): say no more, this is very good. Fresh, malty, lemony, beautifully herbal, with notes of verbena and a splash of Chartreuse. I rather feel M&H have upped their game with this very recent baby. With water: same impression. Tiny hints of anise and mint, exactly what was called for in this context. Finish: not very long but the addition of finger lime seals the deal. A very faint tarry note in the aftertaste. Comments: let’s remain polite — we won’t say we’re surprised, but... well yes, we are surprised.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

M&H 'Dead Sea' (57.4%, OB, APEX Terroir, Israel, 5,609 bottles, 2025)

Here we are at some -350m altitude, what’s going to happen? I haven’t checked this part, but I imagine the base distillate was the same throughout, and that the only variable was the maturation location. In short, a proper scientific approach... Colour: gold, so a slightly deeper hue. Nose: it’s a little less expressive, a little less fresh, perhaps a tad oilier. One gets sunflower oil, for instance, though I’ve no idea whether sunflowers grow in Israel, ha. The rest is close to the ‘JM’. With water: yes, slightly fattier... Mouth (neat): even closer to the Jerusalem, to be honest I’m not sure I could reliably detect the influence of the maturation site on the palate. Finding more salt, for instance, could simply be a trick of the mind (or what’s left of it, ha). Anyway, let’s move on — it’s very similar... With water: same again, very close, and thus very good. Finish: again very similar, but with some pink grapefruit notes emerging right at the end that weren’t quite as noticeable in the previous one. Comments: to do this sort of thing properly you’d need blind tastings and all sorts of controls. We’re a bit mad, but not that mad. At least, we hope not.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Let’s pick up the pace. We had a feeling these 'Terroir' expressions would be good — but not this good...

M&H 'Sea of Galilee' (56.2%, OB, APEX Terroir, Israel, 3,001 bottles, 2025)

Colour: gold. Nose: less expressive than the previous two, probably closer to the more ‘core’ M&H expressions, which we haven’t sampled today. That said, there are some lovely hints of exotic fruits and a few raisins, plus tiny pinches of turmeric and ginger. Raisin and banana cake, would that do for you? With water: closer to the previous ones, perhaps a tad spicier. Mouth (neat): much more expressive on the palate, citrus comes back to take charge, there’s fresh resinous wood — in short, all is well. With water: orange buttercream steps in to keep order, green spices too. Finish: here we’re almost identical to the Dead Sea. Comments: superfluous.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

M&H 'Negev Desert' (54.2%, OB, APEX Terroir, Israel, 2,194 bottles, 2025)

A desert should, in theory, push up the strength, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case here. Colour: gold. Nose: a decidedly fruitier version, more on sweets, jelly babies — honestly, it almost smells like a young Balblair, just like the ones we tried yesterday. Seriously! With water: small citruses, great pleasures. indeed, that’s our new motto. Mouth (neat): fresh, lemony, very pretty, it feels a bit like we’ve landed in the Lowlands of Israel, if such a place existed. With water: well, blow me, they really didn’t miss the mark with this series. Finish: lemon tart, with meringue of course. Comments: a thousand bravos!!!
SGP:661 - 88 points.

A last one...

M&H 2020/2023 (67.2%, OB, for Whisky Picnic Bar, Israel, Private Cask Selection, Dead Sea ex-bourbon cask, cask #2020-2156, 148 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: nothing, nichts, nada, niente, and that’s the murderous strength. Perhaps a few extremely distant notes of very, very ripe oranges. With water: jelly babies, perhaps... There’s also a marked minerality, quite unusual. And hang on, a bit of pineapple? Mouth (neat): a flamethrower in your mouth, but again, the citrus seems to be trying to wrest back control. With water: now perfect, compact, fruity, irrepressible (yes?) and sublimely citrusy. Finish: young Rosebank? Comments: make no mistake, if folks like our friends in Taiwan are starting to select casks like this, it’s not without good reason. Honestly, we adore it. And blast it, barely three years old!
SGP:651 - 89 points.