Tastes

The second of @cascodes selected Dewars ‘smooth’ offerings. An acceptable but unimpressive open from the ‘Illegal Smooth’ now the follow up from ‘Japanese Smooth’. Mizunara casks are pretty special, rare, expensive, and with great heritage. But they can be very easily used poorly. I am hoping that the sandalwood aromatics, and coconut-honey sweetness and lightness of body that Mizunara can bring are well integrated into this pour… N: A vaguely tannic and earthy-sweetness are first and foremost, along with a little alcohol prickle. I get the bare minimum suggestion of orange oil through a light biscuit malt and gentle honey. This is surprisingly light and ‘aromatic’ but I wouldn’t go as far to say anything specific about what the aromats are past malt-honey and slightest orange. Certainly none of the Mizunara excellence I had hoped for. P: A little thin but heading towards creamy. The most obvious thing early on is an almost potpourri like perfume. Sandalwood, sweet plum, herbal aniseed and cinnamon. The texture and flavour becomes toasty over time and spice builds to a raw ginger warmth. So much floral-aromatic oomph going on makes this quite unique to me. F: Short. Sweet malt, watery honey, feint peppery spice and a grainy exit texture. Wow, I think thats the most extreme case of aromatic-florals on the palate I have experienced in a whisky. Honestly, like getting perfume sprayed onto your tongue. @cascode are you sure you put the right stuff in the bottle?! There is obvious carry over in this dram to the ‘Illegal Smooth’. The mass produced elements of a weak nose with a little burn, thinness to the palate texture, and short finish with a grainy exit texture are all directly comparable. Where the Illegal Smooth had a subtle Mezcal influence the Mizunara seems to be more strongly applied here. The aromatics are present but not in the way I had expected and not with the refinement I would expect for such sanctified wood. Still, I quite enjoyed this and would happily have a bottle on the shelf to pour freely as a curiosity with no worries over price-tags or savouring. Thanks, yet again, Overlord @cascode Distiller whisky taste #249 [Pictured here with a replica of H0mo habilis (KNM-ER1813). This replica is of a 1.9 million year old specimen discovered in 1973 at Koobi Fora, Kenya. Despite there being arguments over whether this small 1.3 m tall primate belongs to H0mo or Austalopithecines they are remarkable for likely use of stone tools. Despite their ‘ape-like’ morphologies multiple remains of the species have been found alongside primitive stone tools. These tools are often stone flakes used for butchering and skinning animals. Coincident with a major climate shift that saw forests and water-ways replaced with arid savannahs, these tools gave H. habilis a fitness where other primates could not survive. Despite the controversy over correct genus attributions it is commonly thought that H. habilis is the ancestor to the H. ergaster which in turn led to the human-appearing H0mo erectus.]

Thanks @cascode for curating the best two offerings from the Dewars ‘Smooth’ range. Aside from loathing the use of the word smooth for anything but sleight of hand or topography; I am grateful to get to try my first Dewars liquids, allbeit a smooth one. Fitting that I should move onto these having just finished a bottle of Aberfeldy (12) which I understand is the back bone of a Dewars blend. N: Malt heavy with a sweet fruity tingle/burn. I am not that well acquainted with tequila or mezcal so I don’t know if I am noting anything from the cask. There is something vaguely vegetal and crisp in here (like a green bell pepper) with an undertone of herbal smoke or ash. P: A little thin but heading towards creamy. Immediately hit by a smoky honey with dark caramel. This is followed up by some more of the bell pepper but also cracked black pepper. I think I find the tequila as the interplay of vegetal peppery spice and sticky honey-caramel. I get very little out of this. F: Short. Surprisingly creamy, like oaked chardonnay, a got dose of more vegetal pepper spice and some grainy ash. Erm. I honestly don’t know what to say about this. It feels like generic blended malt but with a vaguely interesting vegetal and peppery character to set it apart from bottom shelf generic drams. I’m not fully convinced I know enough about mezcal or Dewars to pass any kind of judgement but for me, its a forgettable but perfectly acceptable, ‘meh’. Thanks again Overlord @cascode Distiller whisky taste #248 [Pictured here with a replica (orange) reconstruction (brown) of the original Austalopithecus afarensis skull, better known as; Lucy. At 3.2 million years old Lucy (or A.L. 288-1) was discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1974. Her jaw shares features with both apes and other early hominids. Although the brain size was relatively small, the rest of the skeleton indicated she walked upright, supporting the idea that bipedalism preceded the development of large brains. And why ‘Lucy’? The night she was found the paleontological team celebrated in camp with a cassette of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds playing on repeat.]

Could this be the actual Apex of M&H, the promised land of milk and honey? This is about as niche a maturation as a whisky could possibly receive. Dead Sea is the eighth Apex release. It combines 60 casks, 20 each of ex-Bourbon, ex-STR, and ex-Red Wine; all aged for a year next to the Dead Sea. The lowest place on Earth at ~427 m below sea level and with temperatures of up to 50 degrees C the Dead Sea also boasts salinities of 8-10x that of normal sea water. These barrels had an angels share of 25 freaking percent! The wood contact and exchange here is ridiculous. After the year by the Dead Sea the barrels spent another Final two years in Tel Aviv. Let’s dive (or float, its the Dead Sea) in… N: Sweet and a little thin with a little harshness from 56.2% ABV. Vanilla, bitter chocolate, coffee. Mint/menthol, tobacco, and cinnamon. P: This is odd (I feel like I have used that word a lot for these M&H notes). Thin yet powerful. There is a heavy, heavy handed application of spice that is over quickly: cinnamon, clove, black pepper, the fruitiness of red chilli, and cardamon. Bitterness from cocoa powder and then a dry musty presence; not too dissimilar from old tea bags. If you can get through that overzealous and rushed wooding, then there is some brown sugar, toffee and aniseed to greet you. Sadly the best bit of the M&H, the orange and floral lightness is absolutely gone from this. F: Medium-short. Chilli and pepper heat overprint some sweet orchard fruit freshness, a bit of milk chocolate creaminess. And I think thats salinity, but honestly it’s hard to tell; the wood spice is so dominant. Wood is good. Rather, wood is good when it’s used respectfully and correctly. Whilst attempting to make a uniquely Israeli whisky was well intentioned there are just somethings that shouldn’t be done. One of those things is to put a whisky in some of the most extreme temperature conditions on the planet. Sadly, what is a genuinely interesting and promising spirit is decimated by aggressive wood-liquid exchange. You don’t put frozen fish sticks in the hottest oven and expect an even cook. You probably shouldn’t do the equivalent of this with whisky. As always, I am a rank amateur and my opinion is probably wrong. I suspect I miss something as I have read some dizzyingly positive reviews. Or perhaps like the WWA winning Sherry Cask, people are easily bribed one way or another, be it money, headlines, or a general buzz around an exciting new whisky destination. Sadly I must actually refer to a marketing slogan to sign off on these average malts: “good things come to those who wait” Distiller whisky taste #247 [Pictured here with a lump of Halite hopper crystals. The salty Dead Sea} M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5 Apex Pomegranate: 3.75/5 Apex Dead Sea: 2.75/5

Ok. Core expression and ‘elements’ series out of the way. I now have what I was most excited about, the Apex series. I have two of them in front of me. I am excited as I feel these are the two (whether good or bad) with the best shot of being reflective of an Israeli character. The Apex series are supposedly, according to Ari in marketing, “an exclusive opportunity to taste limited editions driven by our boldness and aspiration to reach new heights”. That is, these whiskies are the Apex of M&H. Thats not at all setting themselves up to fail… The pomegranate cask is M&H Single malt whisky aged in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in fortified style pomegranate wine casks for six months. Ooooo 59.5% ABV, this should have some oomph. N: And a little oomph it has. The almost 60% ABV is apparent right away. Rich and with depth, but not overwhelming. This has an oozy kind of thickness laden with earthy malt, burnt coffee and dark caramel, toffee apple, mint, and a little vanilla with a vague spritz of orange. The longer I sit with this the stickier and ‘redder’ it has become; still, I am not convinced it smells of pomegranates. P: Heavy and forceful. Thick with honey and raisin a pomegranate syrup presence permeates. Oaky spice is warming, and leans towards cinnamon chilli, with the wood somewhat restrained and toasty. Vanilla toffee, and fading notes of mocha. F: Long. Drying oak, sticky sweet and spicy chilli heat with a fruity presence that is the pomegranate at work. The faintest notion of salt. A few drops of water and a few minutes to calm later… the nose becomes a little brighter, a little fruiter, and with more nose prickle. Amongst that though there is a musty red grape and woody herbal presence like thyme and lavender. Really quite lovely. The palate enters savoury territory, again backed by a herbal bouquet that lends well to an earthy presence. Pomegranate is on the ride side of sweet. The palate does dry a little further and becomes slightly astringent but only shortens the finish without developing anything new. This is well made. The higher proof offers length and depths to work with and what I though would be sticky and cloying has actually been pretty well managed. Some of the musty, honey, and orange-blossom is here and represents the core spirit well. The cask is additive and pretty well executed. It may be a little too tannic and that, I fear will always be an issue in the Israeli climate. I am torn though, is this better than the classic? It’s more adventurous, it would have been more challenging to do correctly. I don’t think I enjoyed it more, but I think it does offer a little more to discover, so it just about edges the top spot with one contender left to go… Distiller whisky taste #246 [Desert only theme has fallen away it seems. So, pictured here with a rock for the pomegranate cask. The mineral name garnet is derived from the 14th‑century Middle English word gernet, meaning 'dark red' and is further derived from the Latin granatus, from granum ('grain, seed'). Granatus is likely a reference to mela granatum or even pomum granatum (pomegranate).⠀This garnet schist/gneiss is from Southern Norway. I used it for taste #140; HP16 Eagle, but it is the most pomegranate-like rock I have, so its coming out again] M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5 Apex Pomegranate: 3.75/5

Still circling an average score of ‘good’ with an undertone of underwhelming we are half way through and entering the back stretch. This is the third of the M&H elements series that explores the influence of different barrels. Here, M&H fill ex-Islay barrels with their spirit and mature them in the hot climate before combing them with ex-bourbon aged spirit. N: Light and bright. Vanilla scented honey, a freshly cut hay meadow and a lightly lemony smoke that definitely brings Islay into the minds eye. A light tarry-brine comes through and I am wondering if this the touch of a Lagavulin cask? A light juicy melon comes in along the way as well. Not bad at all. P: Odd, there is a powerful hit of smoke but this is delivered by a somewhat thinly juicy palate. Sweet honey and fresh cut lush grass are quite jarring against a stand alone creosote and preserved lemon smoke. There is some fruitiness by way of pear and apple, but they don’t do a lot. The oak is peppery, but again, I don’t find this well integrated. F: Medium. Peppery to chilli tannins and a slightly creamy texture unfolds. Vanilla panacota and a touch of honey sweetness (there it is: milk and honey). The smoke hangs around longest and brings the same tarry-lemon as on the nose and palate but adds a little salinity. This one was a curious drop. Every flavour, scent, and sensation was pretty much great. But, only as individual elements. Altogether, this is like a divorce settlement fighting over who gets to keep the holiday house. M&H seem to have a very admirable spirit profile which lends its self well to clean casking and a simple directionality. Sadly, the delicacy and nuance of this sweet floral malt is tossed into a lions den with the heavyweight Islay cask here and it just cannot find its feet. Points for ‘elements’ here but big negatives on execution and integrated balance. Two more to go, and these seem to ring truer on paper to an Israeli whisky than what has been imbibed so far… Distiller whisky taste #245 [Pictured here with Azurite suns on a white kaolinite matrix from Mablunka, 220 km north of Alice Springs in the Australian Northern Territories. Leaving the desert theme behind momentarily to bring you the Israeli flag in rock form. Each blue sun is a radial cluster of copper carbonate minerals (azurite). These formed when during the Alice Springs Orogeny hot circulating basin fluids penetrated 300-400 million year old clay sediments} M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5

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

A strong start from the Classic, number two is the headline news maker. The winner of the 2023 World Whisky Awards ‘Worlds Best Single Malt”. Awards are to be taken with a pinch of salt (dead sea salt I suspect; they would have beaten some absolute behemoths). But, awards also have a habit of making things unobtainable and expensive (cough Sulivans Cove cough). So, it’s nice to get to try this in anycase. The Elements Series from M&H is a range of single malts exploring the variety of flavours that different types of casks can impart (nothing new here). This particular expression was drawn from a combination of bourbon, Oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. N: Shy. This is a lot less forthcoming than the classic. So, shy. The oak is a dampener, sadly, and mutes what seems to be a musty-gristy malt undercarriage. Time in the glass does a little to help things be more forthcoming, revealing: metallic notes, leather and leaf litter, oily-stale walnuts. Do I get the vaguest suggestion of orange (or a memory of the last dram perhaps?). P: Full bodied and creamy, that is an excellent texture. The sherry influence is obvious as milk chocolate, light honey, raisins, and subtle bakery spice. The oak is understated and makes for a pleasantly balanced profile. The very back end of the palate adds a leafy herbal presence like peppermint or menthol that draws out a dark red cherry. F: Medium-short. Quite bitter, with oak tannins being a little too heavy and bakery spices leaning towards cracked pepper. Brown sugar lends a needed sweetness but its too little too late to maintain balance. First things first; this is not a world beating whisky. No way, no how. I don’t want to call shenanigans, but I can’t help but think some money changed hands on this one! The palate is undeniably enjoyable with some cute quirks, but the nose is shy and obfuscated by too much oak (a product of rapid maturation in a hot climate?) and the finish lost its way. At AUD$130 I would lean towards just about any other sherry cask finished scotch for a lower price and more unique, memorable, character…. …obviously I’m much cleverer than the judges at the WWA so I’ll expect my job offer in the post. Distiller whisky taste #243 [Pictured here with a empty glass (sorry) and sticking with a desert theme; a cluster of evaporitic gypsum needles. Gypsum like this grows from evaporating fluids supersaturated in calcium and sulphate. Such formations are common from salt lakes and dune systems in arid environments. These ones are from dune systems near Dallalinu in Western Australia. Here recharging groundwater dissolve ions and pass through sand dunes growing crystals as they go.] M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house.... were samples of M&H whisky. This year, newcomers M&H made quite the ruckus taking out the worlds best whisky award (WWA) for the elements Sherry Cask. An odd origin, Israel and an interesting mission blueprint. For anyone looking for some insight into this new maker I highly recommend checking out the entry for this dram on malt-review.com, there is an excellent break down of the background to this new distillery and its story. Far more detail there than I care to get into here. The important cliff notes for M&H though: (1) the name references Israel, biblically described as “a land flowing with milk and honey” to indicate the fertility of the land, (2) Israels climate causes locally grown barley to have undesirable fibers and low starch content not suitable for making whisky, (3) so despite point 1, point 2 means that M&H import barely from the UK. To kick off tonights six dram run is M&Hs first release. The ‘Classic’ a three year old, single malt, blended from single malts matured in ex-Bourbon (75%), STR casks (20%), and virgin oak casks (5%). Unchill-filtered, with natural colour, and bottled at 46% ABV. N: Rich and quite sweet with a little alcohol burn. There is an abundance of woody honey, waxy stone fruits, and a floral malt. A little coconut is there if you search for it and a saltiness that brings with it a hint of rubberiness. Interesting enough, but perhaps a little confused by some competing ends of the olfactory spectrum? P: Warm, and surprisingly heavy on the palate with a slight waxiness. Banana, coconut, and candied ginger are most apparent to me. Before heading into a vanilla and honey malt with oats and dark chocolate. Cinnamon and a little pepper add spice to follow the gingery zing. A most wonderfully floral oaky orange is a standout. F: Medium. Peppery and lightly floral. Oakyness again, maybe with some barrel char and honey-toffee tones? This is off to a good start. Whilst the nose remains a little confused to me, the palate is the stand out driving a floral element that I find compelling and want more of. I don’t know about milk and honey, but certainly honey and blossoms is a tag line I can get behind. Is this uniquely Israeli? I don’t know. Would I, on blind tasting, believe this to be a lowland Scotch? Probably; its lightly sweet, malty, and with florals. Time will tell as we move through these offerings from the house of milk and honey, if this is unique spirit or a unique location with a Scotch imitation. Distiller whisky taste #242 [Pictured here with a vaguely geographically relevant rock. This is a piece of limestone from the Great Pyramid of Giza. The main structural stones of the pyramids are carved from quarries along the Nile valley and represent the Mokkatam Formation. In the Eocene (~50 million years old) a retreating seaway left an embankment that became the north-northwest part of the Giza Plateau. As the sea receded, a shallow lagoon formed above a shoal and coral reef. Carbonate muds, silts, and sands lithified into the layers from which the pyramid builders quarried limestone blocks and from which they carved the Sphinx]. M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5

Only a few more drams from the last gift box sent by @cascode. Thank you good Sir! According to the marketing department “Tomintoul Cigar Malt is a rich, complex and robust Malt whisky specially created by our Master Distiller, Robert Fleming. Robert Fleming personally selected an intricate combination of Tomintoul single malts from specially selected vintages, which he has carefully balanced with some rare peated Tomintoul single malt. Each of these individual single malts has been either matured fully or finished in hand-selected Olorosso sherry butts, sourced from the partner bodegas in Andalucia, Spain.” So, as always; is this just a way to get rid of less than ideal stock, or do we actually have a dram worthy of such an opulent title? N: Yep, thats a sherry cask! A toasty and buttery malt presence with a lovely bitter citrus undertone. The nose presents as a slightly odd combination of musty and waxy; like an old antique store. Lighter red fruit is well balanced with a hint of smoke and maple. I am very happy with my nose in this nothing is too overwhelming, nothing out of place. It just works. I do criticise it though for having just enough ethanol presence to prickle the nose here and there. P: Light and fruity with a little syrupy quality to it. Blackberries, chocolate, plenty of cracked pepper and more toasty cereal. Perhaps some bitter citrus and cinnamon spice as well. This falls short of the promise made by the nose. Nothing particularly bad here, just a bit dull. F: Medium-long. Chocolates, orange, and espresso. There is also a copper-metallic taste that reminds me of the old water fountain in my high school from 20+ years ago. The final exit twang is a bit off-putting. I don’t smoke and the notion of cigars is somewhat stomach turning for me. That said, I recognise the opulence and richness they represent. I also get the notion behind branding a ‘cigar malt’. That said, the promise of something rich, long, and decadent were only suggested by the nose on this malt and then things dwindle into mediocrity and a little bit of disappointment at the end of it all. for AUD$129 this is more expensive than an Arran port or sherry cask at 50% ABV. I know what I want on my shelf when the time to indulge comes around. Thanks once again, in @cascode we trust. Distiller whisky taste #241 [Pictured here with a somewhat cigar shaped fossil. This is an ~400 million year old orthocone nautiloid from Morocco, cut out of and polished in its limestone matrix. Closely related to modern squid these straight cones would have housed a tentacled soft body at the front most chamber. A siphuncle (tube) running down the back of the animal would connect the gas filled chambers and allow for buoyancy control in the seas they lived in. The siphuncle could be filled with water by the animal and forced out propelling itself backward by jet propulsion as it pursued its likely predatory life style.⁠]

Manly Spirits in Sydney are yet another young Australian spirit maker with a somewhat dizzying range of offerings. Perhaps more restrained than the likes of Archie Rose, and certainly less bonkers than Starward. I have tried one of their early releases before and been underwhelmed but saw promise; I think that is the general consensus. Now a slightly less fussy offering is hitting the shelves in the mid tier categories. Here comes the marketing waffle “Nor’easter is a label inspired by the prevailing Summer breeze along Sydney's coast which creates an optimal climate for the maturation of Coastal Stone's whiskies. Nor'easter is considered one of the distillery's more robust expressions, finished in charred Australian red wine barrels (both French and American oak)” It’s sounding a little like a Starward recipe, but going in with an open mind and palate. Also, thanks to @cascode for yet another shared dram. N: Powerful, a little acetone but lots of ripe juicy nectarines and apricots, crisp apple and a strange semblance of middle eastern earthy spices. On reflection, and with time the acetone I thought was there turned out to be a herbal, earthy, oak. There is a mustiness to some undertones of the red wine casks.

P: Creamy despite a medium-thin body. Subdued fruitiness of pears and apple pie with custard. Spiced vanilla and milk chocolate. I really don’t find much else here. F: This was over quickly… milk chocolate and a sweet fruit juice. Too its credit though, there are some lovely perfumed and floral oak tannins on the exit that are the highlight of the whole dram for me. On solid advice a dash of water makes the nose less chaotic, softening everything, subduing it somewhat; but importantly, pulling it together into a single cohesive profile. The red wine cask is much more apparent and adds a slightly sour red fruit presence. The finish is but a flash after water and adds a sweet mulch-leafiness, a bit odd. Normally priced at AUD $99 for a 500 ml bottle, this is still quite expensive. At AUD $87 on offer for 500 ml things get a little more competitive. However, I just found a 700 ml release for AUD$94.99, not a bad price at all for a home grown Australia whisky. I wouldn’t put it on my shelf though, the high point is the death throes of the finish, and they are over too quickly to make it a purchase for me. Distiller whisky taste #240 [Pictured here with a lump of Hawkesbury Sandstone. The same stuff that forms the stopper on all of Manly Spirits Coastal Stone bottles. This rock underlies much of Sydney and is used extensively int he cities architecture. The sandstone is 247 million years old and formed from riverine erosion of much older rocks to the south.]