Recently there has been a flowering of artisan, craft distilleries in Israel. Now, there are some producers of high-quality blue-and-white spirits, many totally original, using local ingredients. Chief among these are the Milk & Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv; Julius Distillery in the Western Galilee; Yerushalmi Distillery in Jerusalem; and both Golan & Pelter Distilleries on the Golan Heights. The artisan Julius was the first. I have tasted some of their products, which are truly outstanding. The largest is the Milk & Honey Distillery, whose mission is to bring Israel into the world of whisky. Whisky is mainly produced in five countries: Scotland, Canada, Japan where it is known as whisky, and Ireland and America, where it is spelled with an “e” – whiskey. In recent years there have been many new countries making whisky for the first time. The most famous of these is Taiwan. Their Kavalan brand astonished the world by winning some major awards. The hot humid weather in Taiwan is similar to Israel’s climate.Fast forward to 2012. A few hi-tech’ists, led by Gal Kalkshtein, dreamt big and decided to bring authentic whisky to the Holy Land. No corners were cut. They employed the late Dr. Jim Swan, one of the main gurus of the whisky world, as a consultant. He was the adviser to Kavalan and a specialist in whisky in hot countries. Tomer Goren, ex-brewer, whisky fanatic and now master distiller, became the chef. He worked at both Tomintoul and Springbank in Scotland. Springbank is one of my favorite distilleries. It is like a time capsule from another era.The name Milk & Honey could not be more biblical. The “Promised Land” was referred to as a land of milk and honey. I have read that in days gone by, Scots added milk and honey to their whisky to make it more palatable. I do not know if it is true, but as I always say (as did Mark Twain), never let the truth get in the way of a good story. I DECIDED to visit these enterprising gentlemen in south Tel Aviv. I arrived at what was once a bakery not far from Jaffa, within walking distance of the sea. I entered a nondescript door and had the feeling I had entered a nightclub. The first thing you notice is the garish logo. It is of a bull decorated in the blue and black stripes of a bumble bee.
In 2017, they launched Israel’s first authentic whisky, matured for three years in cask. In cold climates, whisky needs to age for about 10 years before being released. There are no whisky laws in Israel, so they follow the acceptable norm in Scotland.I WAS hosted on my visit by Tal Chotiner, who has done everything in the spirit world. He has been involved in every facet of the spirits and liquor trade and knows the market forward and backward. M&H is slightly exotic and therefore of interest to whisky geeks. It certainly makes them a whole lot more credible to have someone who is knowledgeable, known and respected representing them in export markets. They export to 20 countries already and have already received third-party recognition internationally. They are certainly headed in a good direction.The M&H Classic is a three-year-old whisky aged in 75% bourbon casks, 20% red wine STR casks and 5% virgin oak. It was light, aperitif style, but not lacking in character. I kept returning to it during the tasting. The aromas were enchanting, if fleeting. Nice sweetness, a little zesty, some citrusy notes, but overall delicate. Certainly, it had more on the nose than the flavor, but it was an authentic whisky nonetheless.
