Milk & Honey Apex Terroir series

Terroir in whisky has been around for a while, a few distilleries have suggested it, Waterford shouting the loudest most recently about their different farms and fields... 

M&H have been maturing their whisky in various 'warehouse' locations which really show what terroir is all about, let's have a look...

They have five 'warehouse' locations, each with very different climatic conditions which effect the whisky in different ways

Conceived in collaboration with the late Dr. Jim Swan, the project reflects his early belief in Israel’s potential as a whisky innovation playground. The result is a collection that showcases the impact of landscape, climate, and elevation on whisky flavour and character. These four releases have been matured at the warehouse sites away from Tel Aviv:

Dead Sea:

The climate at the Dead Sea, the lowest location on dry land, is far less welcoming than the postcards suggest. The brutal heat and unmatched air pressure were just begging to have whisky matured there. These conditions practically squeeze flavour from our casks, resulting in an intense dram that clearly reflects the climatic terroir the whisky endured. Full of minerality and spice as well as a well rounded sweetness, this is a unique insight into the most extreme exploration of whisky terroir ever attempted

Yearly Angels Share: 25%
Altitude: -351m
Humidity: 30-45%
Temperatures: 10°C – 51°C.

Negev Desert:

The hot and arid desert days of the Negev are cut by the chilly nights of the Arad hills. The casks matured there expand and contract with the temperature changes, and when combined with gentle maturation at high altitude, this daily process results in a uniquely delicate but flavourful whisky. So different from the other regions with its clear fruity character that’s still dry as the desert.

Yearly Angels Share: 15%
Altitude: 563m
Humidity: 35-90%
Temperatures: 2°C – 40°C

Jerusalem Mountains: 

We specifically chose to age whisky in the pine forests of the Jerusalem mountains to exploit the high elevation and chill temperatures so seldom found in Israel. This climate provides a slower and more gentle maturation than our whisky is accustomed to, ensuring that the resulting whisky is light and fresh, with a green natural flavour that reflects its terroir.

Yearly Angels Share: 7%
Altitude: 576m
Humidity: 55-90%
Temperatures: 6°C – 29°C

Sea of Galilee:

The Sea of Galilee is a complex place, both humid from the inland sea and hot from the Middle Eastern sun. We mature our casks at the low point where the Sea of Galilee meets the Jordan River, where high humidity draws alcohol from the casks, while the high temperatures greedily drink the water content. These duelling influences manifest as warm market spice that keep pace with sticky and exotic date syrup, forming a regional taste that matches the whisky’s terroir.

Yearly Angels Share: 16%
Altitude: -154m
Humidity: 40-75%
Temperatures: 11°C – 38°C

Lets see what they are like:

Dram	Dead Sea	Negev Desert	Jerusalem Mountains	Sea of Galilee
Characteristics	57.4% ABV 5,609 bottles	54.2% ABV 2,194 bottles	55.4% ABV 3,285 bottles	56.2% ABV 3,001 bottles
Distillery notes	The climate at the Dead Sea, the lowest location on dry land, is far less welcoming than the postcards suggest. The brutal heat and unmatched air pressure were just begging to have whisky matured there. These conditions practically squeeze flavour from our casks, resulting in an intense dram that clearly reflects the climatic terroir the whisky endured. Full of minerality and spice as well as a well rounded sweetness, this is a unique insight into the most extreme exploration of whisky terroir ever attempted. Nose: Sweet with French vanilla and mocha nestled within a cigar box. Palate: Gentle black tea is followed by a rush of warm spices such as cinnamon, coriander seeds, and dark cocoa powder. Finish: Long and satisfying with candied ginger and cloves, joined by characteristically minerally sea salt	The hot and arid desert days of the Negev are cut by the chilly nights of the Arad hills. The casks matured there expand and contract with the temperature changes, and when combined with gentle maturation at high altitude, this daily process results in a uniquely delicate but flavourful whisky. So different from the other regions with its clear fruity character that’s dry as the desert. Nose: A delicate and graceful medley of nuts, dark chocolate, and dried fruit. Palate: Dry burst of fresh fruit and red berries. Finish: Fresh berry and dried fruits meet with soft notes of marshmallow for a short but moreish finish.	We specifically chose to age whisky in the pine forests of the Jerusalem mountains to exploit the high elevation and chill temperatures so seldom found in Israel. This climate provides a slower and more gentle maturation than our whisky is accustomed to, ensuring that the resulting whisky is light and fresh, with a green natural flavour that reflects its terroir. Nose: Full of bright green apples balanced with citrus leaf and subtle oak. Palate: Dry oak and fresh pine duel among the sweet spice of fennel and white pepper. Finish: Short, yet juicy with clear notes of toffee apples.	This whisky was matured at the low point where the Sea of Galilee meets the Jordan River, where high humidity draws alcohol from the casks, while the high temperatures greedily drink the water content. These duelling influences manifest as warm market spice that keep pace with sticky and exotic date syrup, forming a regional taste that matches the whisky’s terroir. Nose: Sweet exotic banana and dates, with faint roast nuts, ginger, and market spice. Palate: Marmalade and date-syrup coat the tongue before a wall of warm spice marches straight through. Finish: The rush of complex spice and honey gives way to lingering tannic black tea and freshly stripped treebark.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, form small beads and hang for a while before falling as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, form small beads and hang for a while before falling as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, form small beads and hang for a while before falling as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, form small beads and hang for a while before falling as slow thin legs.
Nose	Obviously salinity gives way to vanilla, orchard fruit, spice and some smoke hints.	Orchard fruit, berries and vanilla to start, a little honey and caramel sweetness.	Pine forest floor, vanilla, almonds and a hint of orchard fruit.	Banana bread, marzipan and a little citrus. There's a hint of spice and salinity.
Palate	Thick sweet arrival: loads of honey and toffee followed immediately by cinnamon spice and salinity - very drying. The orchard fruit from the nose is back: apples, pears and apricots with a little raspberry thrown in too. There's some cardamom spice and a little milk chocolate.	Thick almost oily arrival, drying, very little sweetness. Poached pears, peach skins and white chocolate. There's some peanut skins, overripe berries and an interesting vanilla ice cream note. A little floral or grassy note alongside a hint of salinity and spice as the liquid disappears.	Thick, oily arrival - some sweetness, some ginger spice and a little of the pine from the nose. There's an immediate dryness once the first sip has gone. Herbal hints, a little orchard fruit - dry apricots and peaches, then citrus peel followed by a bite of salinity - if anything more than the Dead Sea bottling.	Thick sweet arrival: caramel, honey and brown sugar. There's an immediate dryness of icing sugar and marzipan. Citrus peel leaves a zing on the lips, ginger spice hits the tongue. There's tangy orange marmalade, baked apples and a hint of salinity. A few more sips give more dryness but add orchard fruit and a more citrus.
Finish	Lingering honey sweetness, dry spice and salinity and a little fruit.	Short, dry and spicy.	Short, dry and spicy with some salinity.	Lingering sweetness, spice and a little salinity.
Overall	I've tried and subsequently bought a previous Dead Sea bottling, it was gorgeous and this one is very similar - a balance of sweetness, dryness and fruit - yummy! The Negev Desert is quite an unusual dram, the nose suggested some sweetness but there was none on the palate, very dry and spicy - nice. Jerusalem Mountains is a bit of a mix between the Dead Sea and Negev Desert bottlings: dry and spicy with a lot of salinity - yummy! The Sea Of Galilee was probably my favourite of the four, sweetness, salinity and a lovely bite of spice. As usual I've done a bit of research for this tasting but no where can I find any specific details of casks used for these bottlings and their ages. I'm assuming they were all of similar age and cask type which would make a more meaningful comparison of the terroir. There's some M&H DNA through each of them: honey, vanilla, spice and a little salinity, the different maturation locations have had a big impact on other tastes as you'd expect. Well worth hunting out a bottle, you'd not be disappointed with any of them!

Huge thanks to Shilton and Dave for the chance to try these drams!