4 More Fantastic Drams from the Mangrove Whisky Portfolio – Part Two

October 2, 2025

If you were here last time, you may remember how I looked at four exceptional drams from Mangrove Global’s diverse whisky portfolio. Mangrove Global, formerly Mangrove Drink’s Company, is one the UK’s most prominent drinks distributors. They have an extensive array of tipples to suit all palates, including gins and rums. As you’ve probably guessed already, it’s the whisky that we’re interested in here at Great Drams.

In my last piece, for a little change of pace, I decided to split that last review into two separate blogs. If you haven’t yet checked part one out, please do so, as it’s full of amazing whiskies from all over the globe (okay, New Zealand and Ireland) but you get my point.

Now, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s time to take a look at part two, so get comfy and pour yourself a great dram (see what I did there?) as we look at four more stunning whiskies from their same portfolio.

Milk and Honey Elements Series Sherry

Last time, you may remember how I was unsure whether or not I’d recently reviewed a whisky from New Zealand, as New Zealand whiskies are pretty rare. As rare as they are, they’re certainly not as rare as whiskies from Tel Aviv, which is where this first delight hails from.

The Milk and Honey Distillery is Israel’s largest whisky distillery. It also happens to be the country’s first. Specialising in single malts, it was founded back in 2013 and has been gathering pace ever since. Because of the warm climate, the whisky ages exceptionally well, and takes on completely different notes and characteristics compared with, say, a dram distilled in Scotland.

The distillery features a visitor centre and was even awarded Best Single Malt Whisky in the World, at the 2023 World Whiskies Awards. ‘But, Greg’, I hear you ask, ‘which single malt whisky was worthy of such an honour? Why, it’s the one I’m about to discuss with you of course.

As part of their Elements series, this expression is perfect for those who enjoy a good sherry bomb, as we call it. Made from a combination of ex-bourbon, PX (Pedro Ximenez), and Oloroso sherry casks, it’s a complex dram bursting with fruity, nutty notes.

On the nose, you get strong citrus aromas from the offset. There is virtually no alcohol notes at all, despite its 46% ABV. The citrus aromas work beautifully with scents of spicy ginger, apricot jam, dates, and very aptly, honey.

On the palate, you can see why those sherry casks were selected. There’s more honey, raisins, sultanas, buttery popcorn, and caramel to begin with. As these flavours mellow, they’re joined by malty, chocolate notes. There’s also a light sprinkling of coffee and walnut cake here, capped off with glacier cherries and light virgin oak woodiness.

The finish lingers and provides more chocolaty sweetness. There’s milk chocolate mousse, vanilla whipped cream, and cinnamon swirls. Amazing body to this one as well. This is another dram I can see myself sipping during the Festive period.

MORRIS Signature Whisky

From Tel Aviv, we’re next travelling to the land down under. I bet you were expecting some quip about beer and barbeques, right? Well, sorry to disappoint, I’m far too mature for that (besides, it’s been done a thousand times already). What I am going to talk about however, is whisky.

The MORRIS Distillery is located in north-eastern Victoria, in a small and placid town called Rutherglen. Sounds pretty Scottish, right? Well, that’s because the town was named after a small town located just outside of Glasgow, Scotland. The whisky they produce here is designed to reflect precisely that.

This family-run distillery was founded in 1859, originally as a winery, though is now home to some truly exceptional whisky. Due to the long, warm summer days and cool evenings, the climate is perfect for aging whisky and helps to create some very unique characteristics you won’t find in drams from other parts of the world. I like to think of Australian whisky as a hybrid between Scotch and Japanese whisky, with a sprinkling of Irish whiskey thrown in for good measure.

As it was originally a winery, there are plenty of fortified wine barrels laying around the place here, which allow for some very interesting flavours.

On the nose, this whisky is evocative of a fruity Speyside. It’s very fruit forward on the nose, providing strong notes of crisp Golden Delicious apples and ripe pears. There’s also a great deal of candied peel aromas to be enjoyed, balanced perfectly with subtle chocolate scents.

On the palate, dark chocolate black forest gateaux flavours come alive, combined with chocolate covered Hobnobs and ripe summer berries. There’s also a subtle taste of vanilla fudge here, bitter Seville marmalade, apricot jam, and dark chocolate coated almonds.

The finish is exceptionally smooth for a 40% ABV. It’s rich and syrupy, and provides heaps of fruity notes. You can really taste the fortified wine notes here. It reminded me of a brandy-soaked Christmas pudding.

MORRIS Muscat Whisky

We’re not done in Australia quite yet, as we’ve another MORRIS expression to explore. This time in the form of their Muscat barrel single malt whisky.

As you have probably guessed, Muscat wine barrels play fairly important roles in aging this expression. Muscat wine is made from grapes found in the Muscat family. What I love about Muscat is the fact that each one is unique. That’s because there are more than 200 different varieties within this family. Some folks even believe that it’s the oldest domesticated grape variety in the world, though that is by no means a definite fact.

One thing I have found over the years, is that people seem to assume that Muscat wine is overly sweet. While it does provide sweet undertones, it’s probably best described as floral. That’s very much present in this exceptional drop.

Matured in a mix of ex-American, French, and Muscat wine barrels, the whisky has a stunning chestnut brown colour and comes in at a spicy 46% ABV.

On the nose, that first sniff should provide plenty of fruity, malty aromas, along with strong scents of molasses. There’s also more than a hint of sticky toffee pudding, and campfire embers, despite this not being a smoky dram.

On the palate, you should pick up prominent black treacle flavours, coupled with ripe figs, rosemary, lavender and honey. As these flavours disperse, they’re replaced with lemon meringue pie, vanilla ice cream, winter baking spices, and Scottish tablet.

The finish is fairly short, yet provides woody oak notes, coupled with buttery pancakes topped with crispy streaky bacon and drizzled with lashings of maple syrup.

Milk and Honey Elements Series Peated

And finally, we’re heading back to the land of milk and honey, to once again visit the Milk and Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv, Israel.

None of the whiskies we’ve looked at in this series of reviews have been particularly peaty so far, but as you can see by the name, that’s about to change.

Another expression as part of the Elements Series, this is a dram that showcases just what a difference cask selection can make. Make no mistake about it, while this is a peaty dram, it’s in no way overpowering. That’s because, rather than being made with peat-smoked malt, it’s instead aged in ex-Islay whisky barrels after starting its journey in ex-bourbon casks. This allows the whisky to take on a soft and subtle smokiness, without being too overpowering. For those who enjoy just a hint of smoke, you’ll absolutely adore this dram.

On the nose, you get that wonderful smoky toffee aroma straight away. Very similar to bonfire toffee in fact. There’s also a generous amount of sweet vanilla oak here, along with faint aromas of orange blossom honey and cinnamon.

On the palate, this 46% ABV dram provides a definite fieriness, combined exceptionally well with lemon and lime flavours. There’s also flavours of a Cornish clotted cream tea and jam here, with the smoky flavours once again entering the fray.

The finish is long and spicy. There’s candied orange peel, freshly charred oak, BBQ smoke, ginger, and pink peppercorns. Very moreish this one.

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at what we have to offer.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.

Tags: Fantastic Drams

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.