Icons of Whisky and World Whiskies Awards: M&H Distillery wins numerous awards

M&H Distillery (Milk and Honey), Israel’s first award-winning distillery, has received eight prestigious titles in the 2023’s Icons of Whisky and World Whiskies Awards for “The Rest of the World” category, including “Craft Producer of the Year” and “Master Distiller of the Year”. The competition, which took place earlier this month in England, United Kingdom, honored the very best of all internationally recognized whiskies. The event comprised an expert panel of judges blindly sampling all exceptional whiskies submitted to the competition.

“The 2023 Icons of Whisky distinctions are the most significant achievement to date, and we are very excited about it. We only began selling our whisky three years ago, and it is an honor to be able to help spread the word about Israeli whisky in this incredible but difficult industry. M&H Distillery produces whisky to the highest standards and without sacrificing quality”, said M&H’s Founder and CEO, Gal Kalkshtein.

The complete list of M&H Distillery’s awards can be found here:

CRAFT PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

The distillery received its second accolade, recognizing M&H Distillery as Best Craft Producer of the Year. The title is awarded to a distillery that stands out from other medium and small-sized distilleries, which are typically not owned by the world’s largest alcohol corporations. M&H Distillery competed against all worldwide whisky brands and won the title on the basis of its Apex series – a limited editions of single malt whisky including Apex Dead Sea and Apex ex-pomegranate wine barrels, expressing the uniqueness of whisky production in the Israeli climate and the distillery’s special barrel selection.

BRAND INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

M&H Distillery has also been honored as Brand Innovator of the Year for the second year in a row. The distillery received the title in recognition of its innovative and creative whisky production through the utilization of Israel’s climate in five climate zones throughout the country, ranging from the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee, the Jerusalem Mountains, and the Negev Desert. Each region has a different temperature and humidity, influencing how the whisky ages in the various types of barrels, and introduces innovation to the traditionally conservative whisky industry.

DISTILLER OF THE YEAR

Tomer Goren, M&H’s Head Distiller, was named Distiller of the Year in 2023. This is the first time that an Israeli distiller has won the title. Goren has been the distillery’s primary distiller since its founding and this recognition is a true testament to the ongoing hard work of M&H.

HIGHLY COMMENDED AWARD FOR DISTILLERY MANAGER

Gal Kalkshtein leads the group of entrepreneurs with a united vision of creating an Israeli whisky through innovation and creativity while maintaining the standard of centuries-old production tradition.

HIGHLY COMMENDED AWARD FOR BRAND AMBASSADOR

Tal Chotiner has been named 2023’s Highly Commended Ambassador. Chotiner is the Distillery’s Vice President of Sales and a key player in the product development strategy. He was an early advisor to the Distillery and officially joined the M&H team in 2018. Chotiner has a wealth of knowledge in the global alcohol industry. He is in charge of the M&H Distillery’s distribution to new markets around the world, including South Korea, Japan, the United States, and Europe – the distillery’s whiskies are currently sold in 40 international markets.

SINGLE MALTS

Elements Sherry Cask – Winner Category Single Malt
Apex Orange Wine Cask – Winner Category Small Batch Single Malt 12 years or less

M&H’s Apex Orange Wine Cask is a single malt whisky aged in orange wine casks from one of Israel’s most prestigious wineries, while Elements Sherry Cask is a single malt whisky aged in casks previously used to age kosher sherry and casks previously used to age American bourbon. Both will compete in the final award competition for the world’s best whisky.

HIGHLY COMMENDED VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR

M&H Distillery has been recognized as Highly Commended Visitor Attraction for the first time. Six days a week, the distillery welcomes visitors from all over the world and offers a variety of insightful tours. From straight-from-the-barrel whisky tasting, pairing whisky with chocolate or with boutique cheeses, to cocktail workshops.

About M&H Distillery

M&H Distillery (Milk & Honey), established in 2013 by entrepreneur and investor Gal Kalkstein, is Israel’s first whisky distillery and produces high-quality distillates in Tel Aviv. All raw materials, equipment, casks and processes are selected to ensure that the final product meets the highest quality standards. M&H Distillery received guidance and advice from the late Dr. Jim Swan, a world-renowned master distiller. All the products of the distillery are kosher. M&H’s spirits have won several awards, including category “winner” at the World Whiskies Awards 2023 for the Elements Sherry Cask and the APEX Dead Sea at the Frankfurt International Trophy 2022, as well as two gold medals at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for the Elements Sherry and Elements Peated. M&H spirits are sold in 40 countries around the world, including Germany, the Benelux, France, the UK, Canada, Russia, China, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. Visitors to the distillery can take private or group tours and participate in various workshops at the visitor center.

To see the full list of awards please visit here. For more information, visit https://mh-distillery.com/.

Image line (from left to right): Tomer Goren (Head Distiller), Tal Chotiner (Vice President of Global Sales) and Gal Kalkshtein (CEO & Founder).

Source: M&H Distillery