M&H Elements Red Wine Cask

Are expectations dashed? Is all hope lost? An average at best effort from the supposed 2023 best in the world M&H Sherry Cask. Hopefully not down hill from here. This is the second of three of the Milk & Honey Elements Series, whisky aged in a variety of casks, imparting a medley of flavour profiles. This one was aged in bourbon casks and red wine casks (which also came from Israel). I am quite tired of red wine casks this year (damn Starward). But, I offer an open mind and palate… N: An equally waxy and dry nose with ample malty brown sugar, juicy fresh strawberry and a spritz of orange. The malt is delicate, clean, and warming. The red wine cask is obvious in the strawberries but doesn’t feel wet and heavy as I have found with other red wine casks of late. Late in the development (15 minutes in) there is a touch of coconut and a minerallic something-or-other. P: Tannic and medium-dry. There is a warmth to this that perhaps betrays the nose, but it remains light in profile with some florals and preserved orange-lemon. Red fruit, mocha, a little pepper, and plenty of slightly tabacco-esque wood. Again, as for the nose, late in the development is some coconut and cinnamon. F: Medium. Mineralic-metallic, a tender kiss of salinity, and ample tannic wood to leave a crisp dry end. This surprised me. It’s definitely not the kind of profile I like in whisky as its too heavily oaked, but i do like the florals that I find. Is it too dry? Perhaps. Are the metallic-mineral notes off kilter? Maybe. What I do think though is that despite not speaking to me or capturing my interest that greatly this is better balanced and integrated than the Sherry Cask and deserves a smidge higher score. Distiller whisky taste #244 [Pictured here with another desert themed mineral. More gypsum, but this time a giant. This huge crystal is from Lake Ballard in Western Australia and from a depth of ~6 m. Lake Ballard is ephemeral, filling rarely and then evaporating. Continuous cycles have led to various thicknesses of salts and muds forming over time. This rather giant growth form show wonderful ‘swallow tail’ twinning from divergently grown crystals sharing faces]. M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25

So, i got my hands into 4 Israeli whisky expressions, from the relatively new and already highly appraised "Milk & Honey" Distillery. Their logo is quite nice, with a black cow/bull with some bee yellow stripes. For jewish people, Milk and Honey are very important things since the Bible and the Talmud are often refering to those things. I am writing this review after i have already tasted their four expressions, and this "Elements" red wine cask one is by far the best. Bottled at 46%abv, golden color. On the nose, quite nice. Spicy at the beggining, like rye-like spiciness; Vanilla cake. VERY YEASTY in a very appealing way. Is like a spongy cake filled with spices. Chilli and apples. Very yeasty and nice. Recently made bread. Cakey overall. On the palate, not too complex but not bad. Red apples, Gerber mashed apples; Nice peppery spice. A second sip was about yellow apples and more stewed fruits. Aftertaste was great. A nice smokey/earthy finish. The smokiness is mild and balanced, making it delicious. Overall, this might not be what you expect from a red wine cask finish, but it should be what you expect on any whisky. Fruity and peaty, yeasty and spicy. A very nice combination of flavors and aromas made me want to explore more of this new distillery from a very far place. Great job here, my score for it is a well deserved 88 over 100.

UPDATE: adding some water brings this whiskey alive. The caramel, apples, and red fruits from the wine dance together in an exceptional and lively combination that is rich and smooth. A must-drink-with-some-water. It elevated my rating. A pretty good whiskey, but I can’t help but want a little more cereal notes to round out the richness from the wine cask. Apples…almost pears in caramel sauce on the nose. The palate is rich and spicy. Almost rum-like with with baking spices vanilla and apple tartness. The finish is short to moderate. There’s red wine tannins and oak that lingers.

A wine cask that reminds me of Malbec albeit the strong apple rind scent. After initial pour, the scent is dry and bitter with a weird nail polish scent. Then the wine kicks in with vanilla, robust plum, black cherry, cranberry. The taste comes with layers. The initial touch of dark fruit, balanced with heated spice yet tolerable. The wine cask levels out giving a medium finish.

Flaviar advent calendar day #10 Nose: jammy and fruity, specifically Berry jam and cranberry. Vanilla. Red wine is coming through. Honeyed grain Palate: youngish malt notes. A hot one on the tongue. Plum, apple, oak tannin, mild cranberry. A little spicy, pepper as it transitions to finish. Finish: thin, back of throat heat, mild grain and oak, slight minerality

From a whiskey advent calendar, quit harsh, burns, ice is a must. The ice brings out (at least initially) hints of raisins or a sweeter fruit. Got wome earth then it went away. With a few minutes the ice chilled the whiskey suppressing most of what i got hust a burn remained and a burning honey finish. Not one i would run out and purchase.