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Jan. 31, 2014
Israel has new spirits
The Holy Land shows off its single-malt whisky.
VIVA SARAH PRESS ISRAEL21C
The year is 2014 and you’re in search of a traditional, fine, single-malt whisky. Pick the bottle with the logo of a cow decked out in honeybee colors. A look at the label and you’ll be delighted to find this Highlands-inspired flavorful whisky comes from Israel – and it’s kosher.
The Milk & Honey Distillery – Israel’s first single-malt whisky distillery – is not a fantasy. The Israeli spirit enthusiasts behind it are so serious about their traditional craft whisky distillery that they’ve invested nearly $1 million of their own funds and ran a crowd-sourcing campaign for another $65,000.
“We are dedicated to using traditional craft distilling techniques to make a high-quality whisky in the Holy Land. Israeli whisky that we can all be proud of,” according to the “Milk & Honey Pact” on the team’s website (mh-distillery.com).
They’ve got a seven-metre-tall copper 3,500-litre spirit still now being handcrafted in Germany and another handmade 9,000-litre wash still waiting to be used in a warehouse near the port of Ashdod. And, while the Israeli team is made up of whisky enthusiasts, they made sure to hire a master distiller. World- renowned James (Jim) Swan, who hails from Glasgow, has detailed knowledge about making the golden beverage and is the leading expert on whisky production in warmer climates.
“It will be a signature single-malt whisky – not peaty, but rich, flavorful Speyside-style,” said Swan. The ingredients used in producing the whisky will be carefully selected and mostly locally sourced.
Simon Fried, co-founder of Milk & Honey Distillery, was out drinking with five other whisky devotees in 2012 when one of them threw out the idea that Israel should have its own whisky. That proposal sparked grander plans and today the six-member team is putting final touches on blueprints for a distillery and visitors centre near Michmoret, about 30 minutes north of Tel Aviv.
“We plan to start with the single-malt whisky, but we also hope to make Bourbon-style whisky and single-malt vodka one day,” Fried said, noting that the whisky will be kosher.
Fried said the traditional craft whisky distillery will make use of local ingredients where possible, without going too far off on a tangent.
“We’re whisky geeks. We want to play it straight and narrow,” he said.
Fried’s team members come from diverse backgrounds, including beer brewing, working for Scottish distilleries, food chemistry, IT systems, renewable energy and project management. Two things unite them: whisky and the desire to show Israel in a positive light.
“We love whisky so much and we think it’s a great way to project something different outwards from Israel,” explained Fried. “We’ve seen how Israeli wine has done great things for Israel’s reputation on the world stage and we’d love our whisky to achieve the same.”
The Milk & Honey team dedicates part of their website to Mary the Jewess (aka Maria Prophetissima, Maria Prophetissa, Mary Prophetissa, Miriam the Prophetess). While the first fermentation and distillation traces back to Hellenistic Egypt, it seems that Mary – estimated to have lived between the first and third centuries of the Common Era – is considered the first non-fictitious alchemist in the Western world. Her story appears in the works of the Gnostic Christian writer Zosimos of Panopolis. Zosimos credits Mary the Jewess as the inventor of the tribikos, the first distilling equipment.
The Bible also alludes to King David, Elijah, Isaiah and Ezekiel as being expert alchemists. In fact, legend holds that monks and soldiers traveling to the Holy Land as part of the Crusades learned the tradition of distilling in the Middle East. Production, of course, spread to Europe, where the craft was honed.
Now, Fried and his cohorts want to prove that they can run a successful micro-distillery in whisky’s birthplace.
Just as Israel’s boutique wine and craft beer have won awards on the international stage, the Milk & Honey Distillery team plan to do the same for whisky.
“I’d love to have an Israeli whisky that can stand on its own two feet,” said Fried. “And to have it be really good and respected around the world, that would be really exciting.”
Viva Sarah Press is an associate editor and writer at Israel21C. She has extensive experience in reporting/editing in the print, online and broadcast fields. Her work has been published by media outlets, including Israel Television, CNN, Reuters, the Jerusalem Post and Time Out. Israel21C is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.
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