M&H APEX Pomegranate Wine Cask

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

This is the definition of a distillery with promise and this edition proves it. Clearly young at 3 years and sharp at 60% but a light and inviting nose, a full and and sweet palate that would shine with a few more years in the barrel! A short but pleasant finish and a very strong showing for M&H and Israeli whisky!

N - very fruity, can see the pomegranate influence. Strong and robust. T - very young and sharp. Flavor profile is great. Sweet and fruity with a hint of honey. But too young. This whisky will be amazing if it is aged for a few more years

At a M&H tasting this was our favorite. Pomegranate comes through a in smell and taste. Very smooth smell. Fruity. Citrussy. spicy. A bit alcoholheavy in the taste so could use a drop of water.

Dark bitter chocolate. Fruity notes with a bit of water. Slightly floral. Tartness.

Another Israeli whisky, this time a Cask Strength expression from Milk & Honey, a Pomegranate Wine finish. This should be interesting. Bottled at 59.5%abv. On the nose, the typical Yeasty note from this distillery but super spicy. Pumpkin, very tropical aroma. Peaches. A Tropical fruit punch. On the palate is fairly good. Chocolate with hazelnut. Very rough and salty. After a first sip it was all about creamy nuttiness like Ferrero Rocher bombom. Aftertaste is sweet and spicy. A chocolate hard cream. Salty and something that i can only describe as a spongy pepper. Overall, this is not a bad whisky at all. I could rank it in a third place from this distillery after the Red Wine Cask and the Apex Dead Sea Cask Strength one. A nice offering, but a little rough on the edges. My score for it is an 80 over 100.