I’ve been interested in trying Milk and Honey for a while now, but have kept hearing mixed reviews and with their relatively young age statements, I’ve steered clear. Thankfully @PBMichiganWolverine was kind enough to provide me with a sample of this pomegranate wine finished whisky to try and finally be able to check Israeli off my whisky globe country list. After pouring the sample and going in for a nose it’s strong and closed off with sour fruits and that high proof overpowering the notes, but after a good 15 minutes the high ethanol begins to calm down to reveal those malty fruity flavors. The nose starts with a rich caramel followed by buttermilk pancakes that are topped with whipped cream and fruits of pomegranate seeds, sour cherries and strawberry syrup that transitions to light floral notes then spices of ginger, cloves, leather and polished oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with fresh baked cinnamon rolls that are topped with cream cheese frosting that transitions to fruits of pomegranate seeds, sour cherries, sautéed apples and orange peel that then has a medium drying spice that then fades to dark chocolate, light floral notes then to spices of ginger, cloves, leather and medium tannic oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour cherries, pomegranate juice, dark chocolate, cinnamon churros, orange zest, ginger, cloves, leather and slightly ashy oak. This is a rich high proof whisky that starts with a nose of pastry, balanced mix of sour red fruits showcasing that pomegranate wine cask along with oak barrel spices that carries over to the palate with rich sweet pastry leading before those sour fruits of the pomegranate wine intermix with bourbon citrus that turns into a medium dry spice mid-palate that fades to chocolate, light floral and barrel spices before finishing with a mild sourness, pomegranate, red berries, citrus, dark chocolate, fried pastry notes and slightly tannic oak. If you enjoy pomegranates and whisky, this is a must buy that manages to find a balanced approach to combine those sour red berries in with a rich decadent whisky. These appear to be costing around $100 right now, which might seem like a lot for a 3-year-old whisky, but it’s a very unique spin that works well and I really hope they have some future releases of older stock with the pomegranate finish.