Israel's Milk & Honey Releases first Kosher Ex-Sherry single malt Certified by STAR-K

By BJLife Newsroom
Posted on 09/29/20

Baltimore, MD - Sept. 29, 2020 - Founded in 2012 and nestled in the urban landscape of vibrant Tel Aviv, Milk & Honey is Israel’s first whisky distillery. While M&H was built upon the bedrock of Scottish whisky-making tradition (they employed the late Dr. Jim Swan, one of the world’s most accomplished master distillers, as their advisor), the unique Mediterranean climate surrounding the distillery has required a unique approach to tried-and-true methods, made successful by the ingenuity of Milk & Honey’s passionate team. Milk & Honey whiskies are double-distilled and aged a minimum of 3 years, though the hot and humid environment accelerates aging, creating spirits that taste distinctly older than expected from their time in barrel. Employing a variety of barrel types (including specially commissioned, certified Kosher ex-sherry barrels from Jerez) M&H spirits are  certified Kosher by the STAR-K

Kosher CASKS

In most cases, kosher scotches are produced from finishes that do not include wine barrel finishing. For the first time, STAR-K has given a Kosher L’Mehadrin Certification to a kosher Wine Barreled Whiskey using only Kosher barrels supervised by our Mashgichim from the very first stage, in France, United States, Spain and Israel.

Rabbi Aharon Haskel, head of STAR-K Israel said,  “We ensured Hashgacha from the beginning to the end, in every country that it is needed, in order to ensure that this  Whiskey would be Kosher L’Mehadrin”.

“After years of hard work and perseverance, we are so excited to finally launch our commercial whisky”, says Gal Kalkstein, owner of Milk & Honey Distillery. “It was quite a challenge to set up a distillery in Tel Aviv, but we chose to go all the way to fulfill our dream of producing whisky that proudly stands alongside leading brands from around the world.”

The Range

Classic

Milk & Honey’s Classic Single Malt Whisky was matured in ex-bourbon casks and special Kosher Israeli red-wine STR casks. This innovative cask type from Swan has gone through a process of shaving, toasting and re-charring.

Elements Sherry

To create this whisky, barrels from Jerez, Spain and Kosher  Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry made especially for M& H were utilized. The casks, once filled with quality sherry and seasoned for one year in Jerez, were brought to the distillery to mature the spirit for a wonderful complex whisky. STAR-K certified M&H Elements Sherry is the first and only kosher single malt whisky in the world, aged in Sherry casks. This single malt reveals robust flavors of red fruit, dark chocolate, and oaky notes.

Milk & Honey also distinguishes itself by experimenting with maturation in local Kosher pomegranate wine casks. Pomegranates are part of the Seven Species: two grains and five fruits listed in the Hebrew bible as being special products of the Land of Israel. Not surprisingly, pomegranate wine is very popular in Israel. Most of the casks Milk & Honey uses are more traditional though, such as ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

M& H Whisky  certified by STAR-K is now available in the USA