I’ve been following Milk and Honey’s Cask 003 (yes, the third cask ever distilled in Tel Aviv) since it was a 3 month old infant. I first tasted it when it was three months old, in my first report on the distillery. I then revisited at 8 months and thought it was moving along its maturation very well. This cask is now officially whisky, having completed three years in wood (it was distilled 4 May 2015, and I tasted a sample drawn on 6 May 2018). I’m not sure what the distillery plans for it are, as nothing distilled in the permanent Tel Aviv distillery will get bottled before the inaugural expression offered to the Indiegogo campaign backers is delivered.
Speaking of the Tel Aviv location there’s some big news, as the distillery has doubled its size to include on site warehousing for 1600 casks (later to be expanded to 2400 casks) in natural climate settings (there are openings in the walls to freely allow in the outside air), a cask filling station, a malt storage area and a bottling line.
I visited the distillery to have a look.
This is a view from the distillery as the opening to the warehouse is being created through the wall.
The “windows” and some casks already in the warehouse, to the left is the opening seen in the picture above.
Casks will be stored four high. I’m curious about temperature differences between the levels, and promise to update at a later date.
Filling station will be located here, with two new make tanks to be installed against these pillars.
This will be the malt storage area, with tri-weekly shipments coming in on a regular basis.
And the room filled with the boxes will house the filling line.
Milk and Honey Distillery, Red Wine Cask 003/2015, Distilled 4.5.2015, Sampled 6.5.2018 (64.5% ABC, NCF, NC)
Appearance: Amber with a bit of a reddish hue, very sturdy necklace, releasing droplets very slowly.
Nose: Starts warm with red fruit – raspberry and blackcurrant – and wood spices, with cinnamon and nutmeg. When left to sit in the glass for a few minutes, a hint of spearmint and some balsamic vinegar. Warm danish, milk chocolate and distant freshly ground coffee come through too.
Palate: Through the high ABV the signature spearmint, as well as pepper. Water brings out some citrus and a milder pepper, with a lovely dry bitterness and some oak.
Linger: Sweet and dry, with a very gentle influence of the wood spices. The medium length linger is sweet and pleasant. Water makes the linger hot and peppery and makes it last far longer.
Conclusion
I’m not sure what plans are for this cask, but I’ll definitely have to snag myself a bottle of it!