In the centre of Tel Aviv, just a stone's throw away from the Bloomfield football stadium, the M&H Distillery is inconspicuous and unassuming, nestled in a block of commercial buildings.

In 2023, M&H was honoured with the World's Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards. This was nota bene not with a limited special bottling, as is so often the case, but with the M&H Elements Sherry Cask, a whisky from the Elements range, which forms the core range of the distillery.

In most countries, whisky loses alcohol content over the years as it matures. That of M&H remains surprisingly stable and often even increases. The ambient air is so hot and dry that more water than alcohol is often "sucked" out of the cask. This phenomenon is also known from rickhouses in hot areas of the USA, such as Texas. The Angel's Share is enormous under the climatic conditions in Israel: on average 12% loss per year and in the case of the barrels stored at -430m on the Dead Sea, it is even up to an incredible 40%! The latter seemed less unbelievable to us when the thermometer showed 44 degrees during our visit and we saw the barrels stored in the open, shaded only by a roof. Who would have thought that there are so many thirstier angels than the Scottish ones?

The whiskies from M&H are correspondingly intense and powerful. However, those who like it softer don't have to keep their hands off it, as the addition of water makes them extremely tame. They can even take a lot of water without going flat. You could almost call it a whisky concentrate.

Rarely have we drunk a whisky that brings its origins so much into the glass. In this masterclass, Brand Ambassador David Cover provides insights to the wonderful world of M&H Whisky.