Milk & Honey Apex Cognac Cask Israeli Single Malt Whisky (2023) 70cl

Milk & Honey Apex Cognac Cask Israeli Single Malt Whisky (2023) 70cl

M&H Whisky Distillery in Tel Aviv recently launched a new product line to explore different cask finishings. The Apex series includes a pomegranate wine cask finish, a white wine cask finish, and a cognac cask finish, with more to come. The Apex Cognac Cask from M&H is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels and STR (shave, toast, re-char) casks. The whisky is then transferred to French Limousin oak Cognac casks for finishing. Limousin is a forest in France, and the French oak harvested from here has a loose grain pattern that allows the wine or spirit to gain more flavour from the wood.

Because M&H Whisky Distillery follows kosher principles, the ex-bourbon barrels have to come from kosher distilleries. There are a few kosher-certified bourbon distilleries, however, any straight unfinished whiskey is permissible as kosher. STR stands for shaving, toasting, and recharging, and in this case, M&H uses this method on red wine casks. The method was pioneered by Dr. Jim Swan, who also consulted with M&H Distillery when it was first founded in 2012.

Cognac finished whisky is nothing new, but the Apex Cognac cask could change the game as a kosher single malt from Israel’s first distillery. Cognac tends to impart lots of fruit and richness on whisky. On the other hand, Limousin oak tends to be tannic, and combined with the hot Israeli climate, the Apex Cognac Cask finish could swing the whisky the other way. The only way to find out is to taste it, so here we go.

58.6%

70cl