M&H Elements Peated

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

Nose: smoke, wood, vegetal, floral, some vanilla Palate: silky upfront, honey, woody, vanilla, bit of pungent spice Finish: smoky, sweet, sticky like honey, oak, pepper

Light smoke. Just a hint of fruit. Honey definitely.

Not much peat, or complexity at all really, until the aftertaste, which verges between smokey ash.