Milk And Honey Elements Sherry Review

Milk And Honey Elements Sherry Release

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of the “Milk And Honey” Classic edition which included general comments on the Milk And Honey’s current range as well as packaging. 

See here for details.

https://rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.com/2020/11/milk-and-honey-classic-single-malt.html

This review will be concentrating on their “Elements Sherry” Cask release. In addition, I shall be talking about the influence that sherry has upon the flavour of Single Malt Whisky.

A Crash Course Introduction to Sherry

Fortified Wine

Fortified wine is regular wine made from fermented grape juice but then married with and “fortified” with distilled grape based spirit (known by the generic term “brandy”). Regular wine using only the fermentation process to produce alcohol can never produce a wine of usually more than 15-16% abv (alcohol by volume) whereas the distillation process can produce much higher alcohol volumes. Consequently, the alcohol content of fortified wine can be anywhere from around 15.5 abv up to as much as 22 abv, producing a very robust liquid that was traditionally diluted and drank by soldiers in the battlefield when clean water was unavailable. It was also used in the field to clean wounds as it acts as an antiseptic and mild anaesthetic.

Sherry is the Anglicised name for “Xeres” (Jerez), the most famous of fortified wines, made from varieties of white Spanish grapes (usually Palomino grapes) and produced in the region of southern Spain, an area known as “The Sherry Triangle”. Maturation in Sherry casks uses the Soleras technique which blends different casks of ascending age to produce a balanced blend.

Other well-known fortified wines include Port, from Portugal, Madeira, from the Madeira Islands and Marsala from Italy.

What does Sherry taste like?

There are actually many different types of Sherry which range from light to heavy, dry to ultra-sweet, some fruity and others quite sour in nature. Please note that I am not talking about Cream Sherries (as drank by your Great Aunty Esther), made for the sweet English palate, which is more like a liquor. I will concentrate on those sherry types which are typically used to season casks, bound for the Scotch whisky industry.

Fino - This type is sometimes produced without fortifying with brandy. During the fermentation process, the sherry is starved of oxygen and the yeast is allowed to go crazy. It results in a light (yeasty dough like) sour fruitiness.

Oloroso - Medium bodied, is oxidized sherry and can range from dry to sweet. It is probably the most versatile of sherries and the one most commonly used to season Sherry casks, bound for the Scotland.

Copper Red in colour. Typical flavours of dry nutty aromas (especially walnuts), combined with sweet and sour red balsamic vinegar, fresh dark fruits (especially cherry), dried fruits (dates, figs, prunes, apricots) with a touch of rhubarb, hints of cocoa chocolate, toasted bread, tobacco and autumn leaves. Often flavours of truffles and seasoned leather on aged bottlings.

Pedro Ximenez - (or PX for short), is a heavy dark syrupy sweet sherry and is becoming increasingly popular as it imparts a dominant sweet fruity flavour to the whisky, which is unmistakable.

Blackcurrant red in colour. Sweeter and syrupier than Oloroso. Ultra-sweet aromas of cooked dark fruit (raisins, raspberries and cherries), candied figs. Figs and dates in syrup, tin peaches, sweet chocolate, coffee, Cinnamon pastry, candied ginger, liquorice, sweet almonds and other spices.

Sources: “Types of sherry wines” by Ruben Luyten

https://www.sherrynotes.com/sherry-types/

Other types of Sherry commonly used to season sherry casks are Amontillado and Palo Cortado.

A word About Sherry Syrup Additive – “Arrope”

According to Spanish Sherry regulations, in order to be legally called Oloroso Casks or PX Casks etc, these casks must be seasoned with real sherry of that type at typical alcohol levels of between 15-22% abv.

https://blog.thenibble.com/

However, just as Scottish distilleries are allowed to add E150a Caramel colouring to their whisky according to the SWA regulations, Spanish Bodegas are allowed to add typically around a litre of “Arrope” (a type of sherry syrup), to their casks as part of the seasoning process. Arrope is made by taking sweet grape juice pulp or “Must” from Pedro Ximénez grapes, boiling it up and simmering it in a boiler until concentrated into a syrup. (Arrope is also used as a flavouring for cakes and ice creams).

See: https://toroalbala.com/en/arrope/

Note: I have come across some people (who consider themselves whisky geeks), who are under the mistaken impression that there are Sherry casks being used in the Scottish Whisky Industry which have been seasoned exclusively in Arrope or other such Sherry Syrup like Paxarette. According to Sherry expert, Ruben Luyten, this is a complete myth and would not be allowed within the Spanish Sherry regulations, as well as being impractical to use.

[Source: Email from Rubin Luyten, dated 28th October 2020] 

Kosher Sherry – Still a bit of a Rarity

Spanish Sherry (or any other fortified wine), has been until very recently, almost totally unobtainable to the kosher consumer. Today, there are Bodegas (Spanish Sherry wineries) producing Kosher sherry but they are few and far between and are producing sherries for the lower end of the market (around 100 to 150 Shekels). Even if you do manage to get hold of a bottle of kosher sherry, it will not be, shall we say, the greatest example of what sherry has to offer.

Consequently, one can comfortably assume that 99.9% of even seasoned (excuse the pun), Orthodox Jewish whisky drinkers have never actually tasted sherry (let alone quality sherry) before in their lives!

Thus, it never ceases to amaze me the number of really “frum” (Orthodox) Jews I meet in wine stores who are just about to purchase their favourite bottle of “Sherry Bomb” Single Malt, (Aberlour A'bunadh, Glengoyne, Macallan, Dalmore, GlenDronach, Edradour, The Glenrothes, to name just a few), who tell me with utter confidence that, yes, the whisky is sweet and fruity, but they cannot taste any sherry flavour in it!

So, I proceed to ask them if they have ever actually tasted sherry before, to which the answer is always invariably, No! Next I proceed to ask them if the sweet flavours are more dark fruits than white fruits, perhaps marinated cherries, dates, figs and apricots? At this point, they usually “chupp” where I am going with this line of questioning, turn and swiftly walk away in the direction of the checkout counter. (They don’t dare look back!)

In a related piece, see my previous article about The Macallan Single Malt here:

https://rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.com/2020/12/israeli-kosher-food-and-drink-magazine.html

Israeli Port Style Wines

There are, Baruch Hashem, an increasing number of wineries here in Israel, who are producing some excellent Kosher Port style fortified wines, matured for around two years, and will give you a very good introduction to the whole genre. Please bear in mind though that Port style wines are more like PX Sherry, lacking that quintessential sour fruity flavours you get from most Spanish Sherries.

I can recommend the Gvaot as well as the Shilo Port Style wines, the Har Odem Port Style and Adir Port Style.

(See here for my review of the Shilo Port Style).

https://rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.com/2016/08/shiloh-port-style-single-cask-cabernet.html

As luck would have it, I got to taste my first real “sherry” (actually it was an Israeli Fino in the Spanish sherry style), back in March 2020, during the first Segger (lockdown). 

On a private visit to the Tura winery, as well as their usual excellent wines, I spied some unusual bottles with no labels. Inquiring as to what they were, I was told that they were Fino Sherry! I decided to buy a bottle (120 Shekels) to give it a try.

Tura Fino Sherry - A Short Review

I wrote to the manager of Tura, Vered Ben-Saadon, asking her for more details of the manufacturing process of this sherry.

From Vered Ben-Saadon

For your question, the wine was made in 2007,

Stayed for two years in barrels.

The colour was created naturally.

We forgot to fill the barrel so this flor fungus developed.

The wine meant for sherry is then fortified to between 15% and 20% alcohol and put in casks only 4/5 full so that a layer of oxygen-inhibiting yeast called “flor” forms on top of the wine.

The yeast is actually responsible for a good deal of the character and flavour of the sherry, as the flor imparts much of the distinctive flavour into the sherry. So, Sherry is more a product of the yeast process rather than (as it is for wine), the grapes, the season and the vineyard.

This doesn't mean that the grapes don't matter as the highest quality grapes are selected to make the finest sherries, but it is how the grapes interact with the yeast which is what sherry is all about.

Tura Fino Sherry: My tasting notes:

Aromas of wet soggy challah dough with very sour dark fruits like sour cherries, cranberries, rhubarb and plum. It tasted like wine which had gone off. Unpleasant taste of undercooked soggy bread, slightly vegetative and sour fruit. Pretty awful stuff but strangely enough, when empty, the bottle actually took on an interesting sweet and sour fruity note, without the unpleasant sour dough notes. When compared to the Milk and Honey Elements Sherry Cask, you could definitely notice similarities.

So, now that I have set the seen for this Kosher Spanish Sherry Cask matured Single Malt, let's get on with the actual review...

Milk And Honey Elements Sherry 46% abv. Price Around NIS 250 Shekels

Certification: Local Tel Aviv Rabbanut, Star-K

Please note that Star-K also oversaw the production of the Kosher Sherry casks in Spain.

Non Chill Filtered

Natural Colour

Cask Types Used:

55% Ex-Bourbon

40% Ex-Sherry (First-Fill)

5% STR (Red Wine, First-Fill)

The Background Story to these Spanish Sherry Casks

The story begins with Milk and Honey’s Kosher Seasoning project carried out in Bodega Del Pino, Jerez in the South of Spain.

See here: https://www.bodegasdelpino.com/vinos-kosher/

The Star-K Kashrus Supervision organisation, (members of AKO and not to be confused with Triangle-K who are not) oversee the whole project. They season two types of casks, one seasoned in PX and the other in Oloroso. Seasoning lasts a full year. The sherry casks are emptied (complying with Spanish regulations) and then sealed and shipped to Tel Aviv. The casks remain sealed until just before the distillery comes to fill them with their new make spirit, carried out under Rabbinical supervision.

No Age Statement

The Plastic stopper as mentioned in my previous review

This is unfortunately a NAS bottling, i.e., there is no age statement on the label. However, in an email, Dana Baran, the Marketing Manager informs me that it is matured for just over 3 Years. (I already wrote extensively about my views regarding NAS bottlings so please see my previous Milk And Honey review for details).

Appearance

The Bourbon Cask on the Left - The Sherry Cask on the Right.

Medium tint of reddish brown treacle. I swirled the liquid around in my Glencairn glass. It displayed an average viscosity for whisky, not watery but certainly not oily.

Tasting Notes

Please add a drop or two of water to your glass.

A word on online whisky reviewers and water

This definitely needs a few drops of water to subdue a slight feisty, aggressive spirit nose pinch. It completely disappears with only a tiny bit of water and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

Some of the, in my opinion, unfair negative reviews of this whisky have been from reviewers ignorantly not adding water. The thinking that not adding water to any of their reviewed whiskies produces a level playing field, shows a complete lack of understanding of the chemistry makeup of whisky.

Some whiskies require water, some only a tiny amount, others, especially cask strength bottlings, require a lot. Only a few, are best drank straight and that, in my opinion, is not a positive thing at all, as it shows that the manufacturer has aimed their product at the lowest common denominator, for someone who simply wants a lazy “immediate gratification” whisky experience.

On the Nose

Initial reaction was a blast of sweet and sour dark fruits with digestive biscuits and honey. After spending some time with the glass, sniffing the whisky over 20 minutes or so, I came up with this list of aroma notes:

Perfume-y musk.

Sweet and sour stewed Rhubarb

Sour Red Grapes

Musky sweet glazed cherries

Bazooka Bubble-gum

Polished Mahogany wood

Cocktail Cabinet smell.

Toffee Red Apple

Red slightly sour wine.

Dry fruit.

Cherry liquor

Wine Gums

Cherry liquor with chocolate

Dried Fruit Cake with Brandy

Tasting

Swirling this around in the mouth, the Milk and Honey will trigger many unusual, varied and exciting flavours to those who have, up until now, only ever drank Ex-Bourbon matured Single Malts.

My first impression was a red fruitiness with a sour fruit yeasty note like fruit just beginning to rot in a barrel; the same sourness you might get with homemade cider or slightly sour red wine? (I know it doesn't sound very appetizing but it actually is)

Other flavour notes from this Milk and Honey, were Musky sweet glazed cherries, Bazooka Bubble Gum, polished wood, toffee apples, cherry liquor, wine gums and dried fruit with brandy cake.

Finish

There is a fascinating combination of sweet, sour and dry sensations left in the mouth after you swallow. Sensations which ought to contradict and clash with one another, yet strangely marry rather well together.

Sweet and sour rhubarb and plums, yeasty wine cask. honey, figs, plump sultanas, musky wine cellar, dry vanilla cream, nutmeg and dry walnuts. Quite delicious and very moreish.

Conclusions

Is it simply a kosher alternative to Macallan, Dalmore, GlenDronach etc, or is it more than this?

Although I really didn't like the Tura Fino sherry, I nevertheless found it very educational and an essential asset which enabled me to better comprehend the source of all the flavours coming from Milk And Honey Elements Sherry. This gave me a far greater appreciation for what the distillery management is trying to achieve. Above all though, this is a delicious whisky and one which has become an essential bottle in my collection.

I must point out that it isn’t just because this is currently the only Kosher Sherry dominant matured Single Malt on the market with no kashrus issues and a descent kashrus certification. It is because I am actually really enjoying drinking this Milk and Honey. It is dangerously easy to drink and you find your glass empty all too soon.

Out of the all the Milk and Honey series, this is, in my opinion, by far the best one and the only one of the series which I would say is a “must” try! I just love that combination of sweet and sour fruitiness on the palate. I highly recommend this Elements Sherry release. I am already coming to the end of my second bottle and will certainly purchase (bli neder) a third very soon.