The BIG M&H Peated Sherry Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Comparison

The BIG M&H Peated Sherry Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Comparison

In this article, I will be reviewing two heavily peated Sherry Bombs from M&H. The first is a Single Cask I purchased from the wooden bookcase (which M&H staff call “The Cage”), in the distillery visitors centre, matured in a single Pedro Ximénez (PX) Cask, and the second is from their Apex series matured in a single Oloroso Cask.

1. M&H “Distillery Exclusive” Peated Ex-PX Sherry Single Cask Malt Whisky Cask #2021-3110

2. M&H Apex Peated Ex-Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Cask #2019-1582

Introduction

The “Sherry Bomb” - that incredibly popular segment of the Single Malt Whisky market, matured or finished in sweet First-Fill Fortified Wine, has been readily available to the strictly kosher consumer for a number of years now making use of Kosher Port Style Wine Casks from Israel and the US.

In addition to Port Style maturation, over the past few years, M&H has innovated the use of genuine Spanish Kosher Oloroso and PX Sherry Casks to mature their Single Malt Whisky that produces a product pretty much indistinguishable from the typical [Stam Yeinum] Ex-Sherry Cask Scotch Single Malt Whisky. As far as I know, they are still the only ones doing this.

I am however aware of an ongoing project in Spain to produce Kosher Spanish Sherry seasoned Casks aimed directly at the Scotch Whisky industry. Knowing when I was first told about this, I would estimate that the first batch of casks are probably ready to be transported to Scotland about now, but whether they actually have any clients lined up for such casks is another matter. It is my understanding that the organisers were asking a “premium” price for these Kosher Sherry Casks, some 25% more than the cost of regular Sherry seasoned casks, in order to cover the cost of services carried out by a particular local Kashrus organisation.

Bearing in mind the already high price of Sherry Casks, this would seem to me to be a rather “brave” investment by any distillery to contemplate, considering the size of the Kosher Whisky market. Nevertheless, I wish them BeHatzlacha and hope very much that they find clients for their casks (if they haven’t already done so). I would certainly like to be one of the first in line to sample the whisky matured in such casks.

Those regular to my blog will know that I have already reviewed a few examples of these types of whisky from the Golani distillery, matured in Israeli “Port” style wine casks, as well as in the last month, Kosher Sherry Bombs from M&H.

In addition to all this, I am also aware of a few special kosher projects cooperating with Distilleries in Scotland by independent bottlers using First-Fill Fortified Wine casks.

The Peated Sherry Bomb

However, there is one segment of the whisky market that has up until now, not been accessible to the strictly kosher consumer. I am of course talking about the “Heavily Peated Sherry Bomb”.

There are those who are known as “Peat Heads”, whisky drinkers who will only drink heavily peated Single Malts, particularly whiskies from Islay. As already discussed, there are those who will exclusively only drink Sherry Bombs. In addition, there is a third even more exclusive fan-group who are totally obsessed by heavily peated Sherry Bombs, that is, Ex-Sherry Cask matured Single Malts made from the mash of high PPM rated peated malted barley.

Scotch Single Malts such as the Kilchoman Sanaig, Kilchoman Loch Gorm, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Laphroaig Oloroso and PX Cask Sherry Finishes, Lagavulin Distillers Edition and many others,  are legendary amongst Sherry Cask Peat-Head whisky enthusiasts, but (as mentioned above), have up until now been off limits to the Kosher Whisky consumer.

Yes, it’s true that Golani Distillery has a range of heavily peated whiskies, many of them matured in Kosher STR Wine casks under the Yerushalmi brand. (The Yerushalmi brand was originally intended to be a separate sister distillery to Golani, to be built somewhere within the Jerusalem region but now, for the time being at least, is being produced at the Golani distillery in Katzrin). However, as tasty and as heavily peated as they are, the Yerushalmi range is matured in a vatting of various cask types including standard wine casks. None of them would remotely be called Sherry/Port Bombs.

Enter M&H…

So, now, at long last, within the last few years or so, the M&H distillery has begun bottling heavily peated Single Malt Whisky matured in genuine kosher Ex-Sherry casks.

At the time of writing, they have released three different types. The Peated Ex-PX Cask, the Peated Ex-Oloroso Cask and the Peated Israeli Fortified Wine Port Style Cask. I have already purchased all three of them but will review just the PX and Oloroso types here.

The Difference Between Pedro Ximenes (PX) and Oloroso Sherry

I’ll discuss actual flavour notes when I come to review the two whiskies but I thought it was important to mention that PX and Oloroso Sherry do not taste the same. Basically, the main differences between these two majestic sherries are that PX Sherry is full on intensely sweet dark fruits and syrupy. Oloroso sherry on the other hand, tends to be lighter, more yeasty and has a sweet and sour fruity edge to it.

Oloroso Sherry – Sweet And Sour

I have always described that sour note you get from Oloroso and Fino sherries as Stewed Rhubarb in sugar. However, although this is quite common as a dessert in Britain (usually served with custard), when I mention rhubarb to most Americans, I am met with blank looks. So, the best way to describe this sour note is to say that it’s a combination of red wine, red sour cherries, tart (sharp) apples and cranberries with a savoury vegetable note, like chopped celery or fenugreek.

In addition, with Oloroso Sherry butts you can get sulphur-y notes ranging from the sweet aroma of burnt matches to the smell of Shabbos cholent eggs.

 

Peated Ex-Oloroso Sherry Tasting Notes

1. M&H “Distillery Exclusive” Peated Ex-PX Sherry Single Cask Malt Whisky Cask #2021-3110

M&H Apex Ex-PX	Data Sheet
Owner:	M&H
Barcode:	None
Price:	NIS 300 at the distillery
Alcohol:	60.0% abv
Age	3 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 6 days
Single Cask No.:	Kosher PX Sherry Cask #2021-3110
Distillation Date:	24/03/2021
Bottling Date:	13/11/2024
Chill-Filtered:	No
Natural Colour:	Yes
Peat Level:	40 PPM
Kashrus Issues:	None
Kosher Certification:	Star-K

 Packaging

There is no packaging with these distillery exclusive bottlings from their bookshelf. All you get is the actual bottle with a standard front and back label in a cardboard black and yellow bag.

The details of each single cask bottling is neatly printed in a two-column table on the front label. The generic back label contains only the necessary legal stuff like alcohol warning, the 30 agarot refund for returning the bottle, and most importantly, the kashrus certification. (Actually, many of the bottles in the bookcase were missing a back label altogether when I last checked. If you find that your bottle is missing this back label, I’d strongly advise you to ask the staff to stick one on for you).

Appearance

I opened the bottle on Thursday night and gave it a quick sniff. There was an immediate whiff of rich dark fruits and cigars. Something which I’d never experienced in a whisky before.

I didn’t pour myself a dram however until the Shabbos Seuda on Friday night. After we had all drained our wine glasses, I brought out the Glencairns for everyone at the table. I poured everyone a typical measure and we marvelled at the dark red colour, so different from the usual single malts we drink, matured in Ex-Bourbon Barrels.

My youngest son (23) remarked that it looked like I was pouring a port and not whisky. Even brandy, which is grape based, is brownish, taking the majority of its colour from the French Oak cask. However, in this case, it was clear that almost all the colour is coming from the Sherry. Swirling the liquid around in my glass, the whisky displays a syrupy like texture. At 60% abv, the tears were thick and chunky. Honestly, had someone told me that they’d poured me a high abv port, I  would not have suspected anything untoward.

Nosing

Even without water added, this whisky has a hugely rich fruity aroma, like sticking your head in a saucepan of freshly made strawberry and Blackcurrant jam. The question was, where was the peat?

Now, according to Tomer Gorem, Head Distiller at M&H, the peated barley used for their peated single malts come from a malting company in the UK and is rated at 40 PPM, similar to the Ardbeg 10, known as a heavy bruiser peat monster. Opening one of these single malts, you get an instant punch of smoky phenolics in your face. Not with this M&H though! The peat is subdued, concealed, even at such high PPM levels. First and foremost, you have fortified red wine aromas in a winery warehouse, dark jammy fruits and raisin in syrup with only a hint of roasted walnuts and sweet cigar smoke in the background.

Think of it as if you are walking through a winery, surrounded by maturing casks and you smell the faint whiff of cigar smoke from someone who has passed by a few minutes before.

Even at a whopping 60% abv, nevertheless the nose is remarkably accessible with no alcohol punch at all. This seems to be a common theme with M&H. Although they should certainly be praised for their expert maturation technique, nevertheless, this poses a real hazard for the less experienced whisky drinker, as one might very well be tempted to drink this as is, without any dilution and very quickly start to feel the many negative repercussions of consuming too much alcohol in too shorter time. (I have mentioned in past articles the dangers of drinking cask strength whisky so won’t dwell on it again here).

You Simply Must Add Water

After some experimentation, I found that adding as many as three teaspoons of water to my Copita glass turned out not to be excessive.

The second (more positive) reason why you should add water is that, counterintuitively it actually intensifies the dark fruits and phenols. That faint cigar smoke in the background now starts to take on a more wood smoke bonfire note. Now with water added, the peat is definitely more evident.

In contrast to Islay or Isle of Arran Single Malts which use peat dug up locally, displaying a coastal character with typically flavours of seaweed, seashells etc, the peat used to dry the barley for these peated M&H bottlings has come from mainland peat as used by the likes of peated anCnoc, Tomintoul’s Old Ballantruan or Benromach. This peat has the flavour profile more akin to forest fires and burning moss.

Tasting

Port Style Wine

The texture of this whisky is like drinking Port Style wine. It’s thick and syrupy and covers the entire mouth and tongue with a film of sweetness like Palwin No.4a Kiddush Wine (that liqueur style wine that used to be popular in the UK a few decades ago).

Palwin No.4a Kiddush Wine

PX Sherry (sweet Syrupy Ruby Red Port style Wine), juicy black raisins, black cherries, cocoa powder and powdered sugar, espresso coffee, dates, figs, caramelised pecans, roasted hazelnuts, Plum-Steam-Pudding cake, sweet Coca-Cola® cubes.

Finish

Raisin and Port Style wine. dark mocha chocolate, date syrup, roasted caramelised pecans, kitchen spices like fresh bay leaves, coriander, nutmeg and cloves.

Now for the Apex Series Bottling

2. M&H Apex Peated Ex-Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Cask #2019-1582

M&H Apex Ex-Oloroso	Data Sheet
Owner:	M&H
Barcode:	7290109233679
Price:	Around NIS 560, £120 in the UK
Alcohol:	58.5% abv
Age	4 years, 4 weeks and 1 day
Single Cask No.:	Kosher Oloroso Sherry Cask #2019-1582
Bottle No.	020 / 301
Distillation Date:	25/06/2019
Bottling Date:	24/07/2023
Chill-Filtered:	No
Natural Colour:	Yes
Peat Level:	40 PPM
Kashrus Issues:	None
Kosher Certification:	Star-K

 Packaging

I’ve covered the packaging for the Apex Series in previous articles but after buying quite a few bottles now, I’ve noticed that the top plastic inset that is supposed to hold the bottle neck in place, comes loose. It would seem that after months of sitting on the shelf, the glue holding the plastic to the top of the box is drying out. It’s simply a bad design that shouldn’t happen with a premium product costing around NIS 500 (£110).

The QR-Code

Unlike other previous Apex series bottlings where they include some useful tasting notes on a label on the inside of the box, this Apex bottling contains a QR-Code where the tasting notes should be and the message “Scan Me For Mode Details”. Unfortunately, scanning it simply brings you to a general webpage about the Apex series and is not specific for this Single Malt.

Appearance

The front label informs us that this Apex series Single Malt was fully matured for the entire ageing process in a Kosher Oloroso Sherry Cask #2019-1582. This is excellent news. In my opinion, they should reserve “Finishes” for their lower-end series.

Comparing this Oloroso Cask Single Malt to the PX Cask, the Oloroso is a touch lighter. I’d describe it as a reddish-brown polished mahogany.

Nosing

Oloroso Sherry (soft tanning yeast-heavy red wine), wood smoke like freshly electric-sanded planks, earthiness, cranberries, raspberries, ripe strawberries, stewed rhubarb, stewed cooking apples, raisins, green eucalyptus, cinnamon, cinnamon toast, bitter chocolate, vanilla sponge cake, sweet ginger, sweet Coca-Cola® cubes.

Tasting

The palate is simply lovely, covering the entire mouth with a concert of different flavours.

Burnt twigs and grass. Sweet, sour and tart Stewed Stone Fruit. (Prunes, lemon rind, raisins, apples, dates and figs). There is honey, cinnamon, Mocha-coated walnuts, chocolate cake and Coca-Cola. There is also something “green” there like Luiza tea.

Finish

Stewed rhubarb, cinnamon, chocolate coated raisins, coriander, nutmeg and cloves.

Comparison

I must say that I found this Apex Peated Ex-Oloroso Sherry Cask far more interesting than their Distillery Exclusive Peated PX-Cask, which is frankly all about the PX Sherry and not much else.

The range of aromas and flavours is a lot wider with Oloroso Cask maturation it seems and the peat is more evident in the form of wood bonfires. I realise that not everyone would agree with me. I personally enjoy that sweet and sour wine combination and all those slightly off notes and readily acknowledge that others may not, preferring the full-on sweet red port wine style.

Conclusion

The existence of Kosher Peated Sherry Bombs has brought me back to the beginning of my whisky journey, when I was exploring all the different types of whisky for the first time. Being that these Peated Ex-Sherry Cask Single Malts are the first of their kind in the kosher market, I have no real baseline comparison, i.e., nothing to compare it with. Consequently, when trying to assess these M&Hs and how they stack up against Peated Ex-Sherry Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Kilchoman, I turned to my trusted whisky YouTube reviewers, that is, those who have already reviewed whiskies which I have drunk and have expressed similar tasting notes as me.

So, I searched on their channels for reviews of Peated Sherry Bombs and listened to their flavour descriptions. I am convinced that M&H have done a fantastic job, but there is a caveat here regarding the type of peat that M&H have used. I’ll explain…

What we’ve learnt

Over the past two months I’ve been reviewing a huge chunk of the M&H Apex range (as well as many Distillery exclusive bottlings). I have intentionally passed over their Apex Dead-Sea bottling, as it really is of no interest to me, as well as their various STR wine stuff, and instead been concentrating on their Fortified Port Wine and Sherry Cask Single Malts. So, what have we learnt?

1. Single Malt Whisky matured in First-Fill Ex-Sherry casks tend to mask the peat effect. In total contrast, the peated malted barley is very prominent in Ex-Bourbon matured Single Malts, often taking front stage.

This confirmed for me what Whisky writer, Ian Wisniewski wrote in his book “The Whisky Dictionary”.

He writes that the degree of impact from phenolic compounds on malt whisky is greatly dependent upon the cask type, (See page 177). There he states that aging in a Bourbon Barrels shows a phenolic character much more readily than sherry casks, as sherry casks contribute a much more dominant range of richer notes compared to Bourbon Barrels. Indeed, my experience was exactly that. Particularly with PX  Sherry Casks, I found that there really was not much difference between the M&H Apex PX-Sherry Butt Single Malt and the M&H Apex Peated PX-Sherry cask.

2. It is quite evident that M&H are using non-coastal (what we call “mainland”) peat to malt their barley. Barley dried with mainland peat is very different to coastal peat.

Examples for comparison from the regular market are the anCnoc Peated Sherry Cask, Benriach Heredotus Fumosus Heavily Peated Sherry Cask, Glendronach “Traditionally Peated” Sherry Cask, Benromach 21 and others.

However, looking at the top ranked and best loved Peated Ex-Sherry Cask Single Malts, they have almost exclusively been peated with Islay or Island peat. This is something M&H hasn’t (as far as I am aware), attempted to explore yet. Perhaps M&H might think about producing a heavily peated Sherry Bomb made from coastal peat similar in style to those Lagavulins, Laphroaigs and Kilchomans, but for the time being, we will have to be content with these very tasty M&H Peated Apex series single malts.

Here is a selection of Coastal style Peated Sherry Cask matured Single Malts

Arran Small Batch Peated Sherry Cask, Lagg Corriecravie Edition Sherry Cask, Laphroaig PX Sherry Cask, Lagavulin Pedro Ximénez Sherry Finish Distillers Edition, Kilchoman Sanaig and Bruichladdich Port Charlotte.

In a way, I am happy that I have not reached the end of my Whisky journey of exploration. It gives me something to look forward to in the coming years.