Wine · Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District
M&H Whisky Distillery
Israel's first whisky distillery, maturing single malt fast in the Tel Aviv heat.
- Founded by
- Gal Kalkshtein
- Based in
- Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District
Their story
M&H, short for Milk & Honey, was founded in Tel Aviv by Gal Kalkshtein as the city's first whisky distillery. The name nods to the biblical land flowing with milk and honey. Head distiller Tomer Goren has been there from the start, and the late whisky consultant Dr. Jim Swan helped shape the spirit because of his experience distilling in hot climates.
Israel's first single malt came out of M&H in May 2017. Since then the distillery has grown to sell in more than 40 countries, and its Elements Sherry Cask was named World's Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards.
All of its whiskies are kosher, and the team also makes a Levantine gin with botanicals from Tel Aviv's Levinsky Market.
How it's made
Malted barley is mashed and fermented on site, then double distilled in two copper pot stills. Tel Aviv's heat speeds up maturation, with roughly 11% lost to evaporation each year, and casks also age at the Sea of Galilee, near Jerusalem and at the Dead Sea. Casks include ex-bourbon, red wine, kosher sherry and peated Islay barrels.
The Israeli climate is, in fact, one of the secrets to our whisky.
Why we carry them
We like M&H because it shows what a hot climate does to single malt: rich, fruity and full of character at a young age. It is a fun bottle to taste next to a Scotch.
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