Milk & Honey 2 Year (2017) Single Cask Nation

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Milk & Honey

Bottler: Jewish Whisky Company

Region: Israel

Price: $10 for a 2 oz sample

ABV: 61.3%

Cask Type: First Fill Jamaican Rum

Cask Number: 0185

Age: 2 Year. Distilled in July 2017. Bottled in December 2019.

Color: 0.2, Pale Straw.

Nose: (according to the wife) Pretty straight forward with pineapple and honey being the main notes. It prickles a bit when you smell it.

Palate: Talk about heat, it’s incredibly hot and surprisingly bitter. There’s way too much ethanol for this to be really enjoyable. A bit of lemon zest pops up resulting a very citrusy cleaning solvent taste. Some waxiness is present as well. With water, that waxy lemon does becoming stronger but no matter how much water I seem to add, this whisky doesn’t stop burning and the pure ethanol is too much.

Finish: Long. Lemon zest with a bit of malt biscuit. And ethanol burn, burn that lasts way too long.

Conclusion: At 2 years, this Israeli single malt from Milk & Honey is the youngest age stated whisky I’ve reviewed. I have to say, I’m incredibly disappointed. The potential of the spirit seems to be there, I was reminded a lot of Clynelish in the notes that weren’t pure ethanol burn, but it simply hasn’t been given enough time to reach any of it. The rum cask doesn’t appear to have done much for this in the 2 years it was sitting as well, there’s none of that tropical fruit or sugary goodness that would help elevate this. Or perhaps it is there and the raw alcohol notes are so strong that I can’t pick them out. Leave it in the barrel for a few more years and I’d hazard to guess you’d have a far more drinkable product, but as it is I couldn’t finish my dram.

Final Score: 50.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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