FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 72 OF 80
LEVENTINE GIN, Milk & Honey Distillery, Tel Aviv
Israel
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
An Israeli single malt, Middle Eastern botanicals and a gin rooted in the ancient land of milk and honey.
A group of whisky-loving entrepreneurs came together in 2013 with a rather ambitious plan – to establish Israel's first whisky distillery. The result was M&H Distillery, an urban distillery in Tel Aviv, and Israel's first single malt whisky.
The climate makes this a very different place to mature whisky from Scotland. With around 300 days of sunshine a year, the hot Mediterranean conditions accelerate maturation, but they also mean a much higher angel's share. M&H says it can reach as much as 12% a year, so quite a bit of the whisky disappears before it ever reaches the bottle.
The distillery was established with the help of the late Dr Jim Swan, an expert in whisky maturation in hot climates, who became its first master distiller and advisor. He helped design the distillery and develop its approach to maturation, including the STR technique – shaving, toasting and re-charring oak casks to prepare them for whisky.
There is something particularly appropriate about using barley here too. Barley is one of the Seven Species mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as being associated with the Land of Israel, alongside wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
These seven crops have remained important to Israeli food and culture, with many still appearing in the country's cooking today. Then, of course, there is the wider influence of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, with herbs and spice blends such as za'atar having their own long culinary histories.
The M&H Levantine Gin starts with the same 100% malted barley spirit used for their whisky. Juniper is added alongside botanicals sourced from Tel Aviv's Levinsky Market, including origanum syriacum (the za'atar plant), lemon peel, orange, chamomile, verbena, cinnamon and black pepper. The botanicals rest in the still for 48 hours before being distilled again, giving the gin its distinctly Israeli identity. It is bottled at 46% ABV.
The range has grown since I first wrote about it. Alongside the original Levantine Gin there is an Oak Aged Levantine, rested in red-wine STR casks for a few months, as well as Peated and Navy Strength versions. The Oak Aged is the one I have here, and M&H says the red-wine casks give it a subtle vanilla character alongside the lemon and juniper.
I think the name Milk & Honey is rather lovely for an Israeli distillery too. The phrase comes from the Hebrew Bible's description of the Promised Land as a land flowing with milk and honey, while the Seven Species provide another connection between the distillery's ingredients and the land itself.
If you're passing through, M&H has a visitor centre at 16 HaThiya Street, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, where they offer tours, tastings and their full range of spirits.
"The Land of Milk & Honey"
My serve nods to those Seven Species, although I can't guarantee it's kosher, and is a Pomegranate Negroni (Pom-Groni) garnished with a lightly grilled fig.
POM-GRONI
50ml M&H Levantine Gin
25ml Campari
25ml sweet vermouth
25ml pomegranate juice
Stir with ice and garnish with a lightly grilled fig.
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."