M&H | Pōkeno | Idle Assembly
Saturdays Interviews and Tastings + The Macallan and Bushmills News
This edition kicks off with Idle Assembly rum, a gem I stumbled upon on Instagram (Clandestine Whisky Magazine) and felt an urge to explore further. My journey into the world of rum is fairly recent, yet it has quickly drawn me in. The category is so varied and presents a more complex proposition than whisky in many ways.
In an effort to enrich these diaries, I’m excited to introduce more in-depth interviews. These conversations aim to provide a more personal introduction to the distilleries I cover, offering you a closer look at the craftsmanship and stories behind the spirits. I am starting off with whisky from New Zealand and Israel, but not before I introduce you to that rum after news of a couple of new releases.
Bushmills have announced the limited release (just 12 bottles available exclusively at The Whisky Shop) of a 31-year-old matured first in oloroso and bourbon barrels before finishing in first and second-fill Madeira casks for 18 years. I have not tasted it, but my friend and Bushmill Master Blender, Alex Thomas, describes it as “Each sip is like walking through an orchard in summer – warm, mouth-watering with beautiful creamy notes of orange and peach. The finish is dry and fruit-forward, with nutty praline creaminess delivering an exquisite mouthfeel.”
The Macallan have today announced a collaboration with Bentley called The Macallan Horizon. The press release states “The Macallan Horizon is presented in a unique bespoke glass vessel, a material intrinsic to both The Macallan and Bentley, designed to be displayed horizontally, challenging the conventions of traditional whisky bottling. An aluminium ribbon envelops the glass and is precision engineered to Bentley’s exacting standards, in homage to this key material used in the sculptural foundation and bodywork of a Bentley motorcar.
The vessel is encased in a sculpture lined with the finest low carbon leather, expertly crafted, in a chestnut colourway to ornately finish and protect the precious whisky. A surrounding recycled copper frame is precision engineered and includes copper from the stills previously used by The Macallan, prior to the internationally acclaimed Distillery being unveiled in 2019.”
They go on to say ‘Rich and indulgent dried fruit and spice flavour notes are beautifully balanced with oak and leather, aromas abundant in Bentley’s world. The whisky’s rich and long-lasting finish also mirrors the car’s timeless quality and design, resulting in a true stimulation of the senses through taste and texture.”
IDLE ASSEMBLE
Located in the picturesque charm of Dunmore Town in the Bahamas, this rum is the brainchild of David Flint Wood and Rodger Nisbet. It is a blend, aged between 5 to 20 years in ex-bourbon barrels, made by a third-generation family of rum blenders in Colombia, with a legacy stretching across Trinidad, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Panama. To further its geographical roots, it is bottled in Scotland.
The name draws inspiration from David’s nearly three decades of Bahamian residency. A unique sign at Harbour Island's Government Dock, declaring "NO LOAFING OR IDLE ASSEMBLY," sparked the conversation for launching the brand. The Bahamas, an archipelago with over 700 islands, is a haven for those seeking a blend of tranquil island life, rich culture, and outdoor adventures amidst stunning natural beauty. It was almost made to relax and enjoy conversation over a rum, so the sign prohibiting idle assembly, very much at odds with island life, provided the inspiration.
I particularly like the presentation. My bottle arrived in a hessian bag with the bottle wrapped in tissue paper telling the story of the rum. The label design pays homage to the golden era of Caribbean travel in the '50s and '60s, with hand-made illustrations that evoke a sense of nostalgia and adventure. The palate is monochrome, with just the name and what it is, in a deep red. It just feels authentic and rustic, which appeals greatly. It is as if the bottle itself tells a story and asks you to be part of it. My only regret is I could not photograph the bottle in the Bahamas (if only budgets extended to this), instead making use of my local nature reserve. Not quite the same, but one day…
The rum itself is molasses-based and bottled at 43% ABV. The nose is rich with demerara sugar, apricots, vintage marmalade and cloves. I found the palate to be balanced with a complex array of flavours that went from ripe mango to stewed dark fruit including damsons, with layers of vanilla, and hints of pineapple, coconut and guava. The flavours lingered and I could genuinely picture myself relaxing with a glass overlooking the ocean, chatting with David and Rodger.
I'd be intrigued to experience this as an Overproof with an alcohol content between 50-60% ABV; I think it would make an excellent limited edition with a fascinating flavour profile. However, I recognise this might not appeal to everyone - being a fan of cask-strength whisky, I'm just naturally inclined towards strong spirits! As it stands, it is a beautiful sipping whisky, that offers a lot of flavour and complexity for the rather good price of circa £55.
It has been impressive to see the numerous prestigious listings this rum has achieved. You can find it at places like Hedonism, Fortnum & Mason, and dining spots such as The River Cafe and various restaurants owned by Tom Kitchin. Specifically, it's featured in a signature cocktail at Kitchin's venues, which, from what I've gathered, is receiving high praise from their guests.
The first batch was limited to 6,500 bottles. If you would like a bottle, and I suggest you get one, they are available from the above-mentioned stores or at Idle Spirits.
PŌKENO
Regular readers will know my passion for Australian whisky, so it will come as no surprise when I say I was excited to learn more about this distillery from New Zealand. Founded by Matt Johns with a vision to put the country on the whisky map, he started it as a passion project. When you can do this, shortcuts are not made - excellence is at the heart of what you do. This means investing in excellent barrels, batch production, long fermentations and slow distillation. You can read my notes for their Discovery expression at the end of this article.
Keen to learn more about the distillery I chatted with Matt:-
What inspired the creation of Pōkeno Whisky, and how does New Zealand's unique landscape and culture influence your brand's vision and product offerings?
Pōkeno is a real passion project for us. After 25 years in the global whisky industry, we wanted to build a distillery, which would allow us to produce the single malt that we wanted to produce, inspired by our unique sense of space and the culture and environment of New Zealand. We use only New Zealand ingredients, and our products are a reflection of our culture - creative, innovative and bold.
In what way do you incorporate sustainability into your operations, from sourcing ingredients to packaging, and how does this commitment impact the quality and experience of your products?
We are as sustainably responsible as we can be. We have an enclosed cooling loop to avoid impact on the environment, we recycle all of our Draff and pot ale to the local farmers and community free of charge, and we power the distillery with gas. We choose our dry goods to limit the impact on the environment and work only with sustainable suppliers where possible. I do not believe that this has any impact on the quality or experience of our products, as we have a no-compromise approach to everything that we do.
How do you believe the terroir of New Zealand influences the characteristics of your whisky, and are there any specific regional attributes that you try to highlight?
We have a very specific climate in the North Island of New Zealand. We are subtropical, which has an enormous effect on maturation, with our angel share reaching 9 per cent per year, giving us an incredibly accelerated maturation. Our barley is grown in the south island, and the terroir has an impact on the profile of the barley, creating a very sweet cereal.
Do you have any recommendations for pairing Pokeno Whisky with New Zealand's local cuisines or specific serving suggestions that enhance the tasting experience?
Pōkeno Origin is an incredibly sweet and fruity whisky, with great notes of citrus and grapefruit, it goes great with local seafood - crayfish etc. Discovery with the deep notes of Dried fruit and dark chocolate, is a great desert whisky or can be paired with some fantastic New Zealand Lamb.
How do you contribute to the local community and promote New Zealand's culture and heritage through your brand and products?
As mentioned before we give our draff and pot ale to the local farmers for free to support the local community. We also support our local community in Pōkeno through employment and sponsorship of local infrastructure where possible for a small business. We are very proud of our culture and heritage, and our whisky is a reflection of New Zealand. We are very proud to be making a Kiwi whisky.
Looking forward, what are your aspirations for the future, both in terms of product development and expanding your presence in international markets?
We are currently present in over 20 international markets and continue to work hard to grow our international presence. We will continue to innovate in our product development and are very focused on the development of our native wood cask program. We released the world's first ever Totara Cask whisky last year which was incredibly successful, and there is more innovation in this space to come.
What whisky that you have made, has surprised you in its quality?
The Pōkeno Totara Cask exceeded our expectations. This was very experimental as casks had never been made out of this New Zealand wood before.=
Pōkeno Discovery 43%
This is blended from whisky that has been fully matured in first-fill bourbon, Olorosso and Pedro Ximenez casks. These have then been left to marry together before being bottled. The result is a refined whisky that is easy to drink and full of dark fruits on the nose, with cocoa, allspice and cherries. On the palate, there is the addition of toffee, orange and vanilla. This is a great entry-level core range whisky. I would very much like to try their other releases, especially the Exploration and Single Casks, to really see what Pōkeno is producing.
MILK & HONEY WHISKY FROM ISRAEL
M&H Elements Sherry Cask 46%
A standard nose that delivers exactly what you would expect from a sherry cask, with the addition of some apricot. I am going to start with the finish on this, as it lasted for a surprisingly long time. Prior to that it had figs, plums, tobacco and spices. A great introduction to M&H.
M&H Apex Dead Sea Batch #10 56.2%
This is a fascinating whisky as it has been aged in the lowest place on earth - The Dead Sea. Temperatures here can rise to 50c, meaning the maturation of the whisky is accelerated. The nose is quite woody but backed up by vanilla, butterscotch and a hint of mint. The palate is spicy with mocha, coffee grinds, a little salt and a dry savouriness. It finishes with cloves and vanilla.
M&H Apex Pomegranate Wine Cask 57.2%
This release is part of the distillery's Apex series, which showcases the distillery's experimental and premium single malt whiskies. Whilst pomegranate might seem a strange choice, Pomegranate is deeply rooted in Middle Eastern cuisine and produces quite a sweet wine, so is in line with more common finishes like sherry, marsala or port.
I didn’t know what to expect here as I had no reference point, but I embraced the difference and wasn’t disappointed. There was so much going on here on the nose, from grain right through to raspberries, plums, figs and some herbaceous notes. This cornucopia of flavour carried through to the palate which was alive with more red fruits, chocolate, butterscotch and of course a sweetness. I think the word to describe this is intriguing as it keeps you going back for more, trying to identify more flavours.
I spoke with Sigal Tweig, the M&H Brand Manager about the whisky and distillery:-
What inspired you to finish a whisky in a Pomegranate cask and how long has the whisky spent in the cask?
Ageing whisky in pomegranate wine is both innovative and Israeli. No other distillery has done this before us. We aim to be trailblazers and bring new things into the whisky world. While we keep the tradition and the Scottish rolls for making whisky, a part of who we are is bringing a twist to this conservative word of whisky making, which inspired us to use pomegranate wine casks to age our whisky.
We did a few batches of whisky matured in pomegranate wine casks. Some were finished e for about six months, while others were fully mature.
Being based in Tel Aviv, what unique climatic challenges do you face?
The Israeli climate is challenging because we have high temperatures for most of the year, and it is very humid. We have 300 days of sun a year. This is not a standard climate for making whisky. We are still learning how to use this special weather to make the best whisky. Because it is very hot, if we age the whisky for a long period of years, we will get an over-matured or over-oaky, that is why the whisky age is not a parameter for a good whisky. In addition, what makes Israel unique is that in such a small country, we have different climate zones: the Dead Sea, the Jerusalem mountains, the desert, and Tel Aviv. Each of these areas is characterised by a different climate, and we explore each area by leaving casks in different areas and checking how the whisky develops and how best to use each climate zone to create a special whisky rich in flavours that we love.
How receptive is the market to unique expressions like this? Is there a particular market that embraces your Apex series more than others?
The difference is not between countries but in each specific market. The Apex series appeals to advanced whisky enthusiasts looking for special editions. Where there is a developed whisky culture, our Apex series is especially appreciated.
Is there an Israeli food that partners particularly well with it?
While Israel offers diverse and fantastic cuisine, there isn’t a specific food that partners well with our whisky. It's a matter of taste, and it is subjective.
The late Dr Jim Swan consulted for you at the start. What was the most valuable lesson he gave you?
Dr Jim Swan gave us the foundation for creating whisky. He helped us choose the stills, raw materials, and the initial recipe for our whisky.
Which M&H whisky does the team generally reach for when enjoying a dram?
We produce a very wide variety of whisky. Our core range is relatively balanced, and we have special editions that are aged in different casks so that the flavour profile is very rich, and everyone can choose what they like, but the team generally reaches for our M&H classic.