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