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