The first Israeli whisky distillery Milk & Honey has released its Classic Single Malt Whisky in Australia. Alba Whisky is distributing the whisky and M&H's two gin varieties.
The three-year-old Classic Single Malt Whisky was matured in the finest ex-bourbon and special red-wine STR casks. M&H CEO Eitan Attir said it has given a light and balanced character, with notes of vanilla, light oak, alongside a light black pepper spiciness to the spirit.
In Tel Aviv’s unique hot and humid climate, whisky matures and extracts barrel flavour faster than in traditional whisky countries, giving its spirit the characteristics of an older whisky, Attir said.
Attir said the distillery is trying to be an innovative a possible, ageing whisky in different climate zones across Israel. It currently has one ageing on the roof of a house near the Dead Sea, the lowest point in the country. "The desert is next," he said, "Israel is blessed with four different climate zones with a variety of whisky ageing possibilities from mountainous Safed to muggy Beit Shean, from the hills of Jerusalem to the Negev desert and the Dead Sea."
The distillery is filling around 800 barrels a year, or 170,000 litres of new make spirit. By 2021 it will be producting and selling over a quarter of a million bottles world wide.
