By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
Guided tasting experiences in Tel Aviv include Israeli whisky, craft gin and artisan spirits from local distilleries and specialist bars. Expert-led tastings give context on Israel's emerging premium spirits industry and how the Mediterranean climate shapes each bottle.
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M&H Distillery is in Tel Aviv's northern industrial quarter; the whisky bars and craft spirits scene clusters around Florentin, Carmel Market and Rothschild Boulevard. A central hotel puts you within a short taxi or light-rail ride of all the key venues — and most bars run late.
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Israel’s craft spirits story begins, like so many good stories, with an unlikely premise. Until 2012, there was no whisky distillery in the country. The founder of M&H (Milk & Honey) Distillery, an Israeli entrepreneur with a background in olive oil and an obsession with Scotch, looked at Israel’s abundant sunshine, its coastal sea air, and its access to premium barley, and made a bet that the Mediterranean could produce something new in single malt. A decade later, his distillery had won the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards. The Israeli craft spirits industry was no longer a curiosity — it was a destination.
This guide covers the full picture: Israeli whisky, craft gin, artisan arak, and where to taste all of it.
M&H (Milk & Honey) Distillery is Tel Aviv’s most internationally significant spirits producer and the starting point for any serious Israeli spirits itinerary. Founded in 2012 and releasing its first official whisky in 2017, M&H has compressed a century of whisky-country brand-building into less than a decade — driven primarily by the quality of what’s in the bottle.
The distillery is located in Tel Aviv’s northern industrial district. Visits are by appointment only (Monday to Friday; book via milkandhoneydistillery.com), and include:
What to taste:
| Expression | Character |
|---|---|
| M&H Classic | Entry point; approachable, lightly peated, tropical fruit notes |
| M&H Elements Sherry Cask | Rich, dried fruit, chocolate; signature non-peated expression |
| M&H Elements Peated | Smokier; balances peat with Mediterranean warmth |
| M&H Apex Series | Limited cask-strength releases; the most collector-sought expressions |
Honesty note: The Apex series sells out quickly — some expressions are only available at the distillery or via the website. Retail prices given in this guide are indicative; they change with production volumes and exchange rates. The distillery is not set up for walk-in visitors — advance booking is essential.
Getting there: The distillery is in the Har Hotzvim area of northern Tel Aviv. Uber/Gett from central Tel Aviv runs approximately ₪35–45; the Tel Aviv Light Rail connects to nearby stops. A taxi back via Jaffa Old Town makes a natural evening continuation.
The craft gin category arrived in Israel in earnest around 2015–2018, following the global gin renaissance. Several small-batch Israeli gins are now worth seeking out:
Golani Gin — produced in the north and using botanicals from the Golan Heights region, including sage, wild herbs and regional citrus. Available at specialist spirits shops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; found occasionally at upscale hotel bars.
Levant Gin — a Mediterranean botanical profile: carob pods, pomelo peel, sage and local herbs alongside standard juniper-led gin botanicals. Small-batch production means availability is inconsistent; specialist bottle shops in Tel Aviv’s Florentin and central Jerusalem are the most reliable sources.
Dead Sea Gin — an unusual concept: a gin positioned around the unique mineral character of its water source. More of a conversation piece than the most refined expression, but worth trying for the concept alone.
The best single place to explore Israeli craft gin is at a specialist spirits bar in Tel Aviv — the staff at Dr. Whisky Bar can steer you to current availability. Beer Bazaar locations also carry a selection of Israeli craft spirits alongside their extensive craft beer range.
Before whisky, before gin, there was arak. Israel’s traditional anise spirit is part of the wider Levantine arak family — produced from grapes and flavoured with anise seeds, it turns milky white when diluted with water and ice, and is the canonical accompaniment to mezze.
Israeli arak is closely related to Lebanese arak; subtle differences exist in grape varieties and local production traditions, but both share the same cultural DNA. The most widely available Israeli arak brands are Aluf HaArak and the less commercially distributed boutique versions from small producers in Jaffa and Jerusalem.
How to drink arak: dilute roughly 1:2 with cold water, add ice, drink alongside hummus, baba ghanoush, and grilled meats. Never add ice before water — the arak goes cloudy (a process called louching) more gracefully when diluted first. Order it at any traditional mezze restaurant, particularly in East Jerusalem, Akko, Jaffa or Haifa’s Arab neighborhoods.
Dr. Whisky Bar (Ibn Gavirol Street, Tel Aviv) is the essential address for anyone who wants to explore Israeli whisky alongside international comparisons. The bar carries the full M&H core range and rotating Apex expressions alongside an impressive international selection — the staff can guide you through Israel vs. Scotland vs. Japan tasting comparisons that contextualize how the Mediterranean climate shapes the Israeli style. Open evenings; closed Friday night through Saturday (Shabbat).
Hacarmel 10 (near Carmel Market) — a wine bar that takes its spirits selection seriously; stocks Israeli craft spirits alongside natural wines and has a kitchen for food pairing.
Beer Bazaar — all locations carry a selection of Israeli craft spirits alongside their craft beer programme. The Carmel Market flagship has the most comprehensive spirits shelf. Worth noting for visitors who want to try Israeli craft spirits without making a separate bar visit.
Hotel bars: The Norman, The Setai Jaffa and several boutique hotels in the Rothschild corridor now carry Israeli craft spirits on their cocktail menus — useful if you’re staying at one of these properties.
Jerusalem: Select hotel bars in the luxury tier carry M&H whisky. The Machane Yehuda market area has a small bar scene that stocks Israeli craft spirits; the Machneyuda restaurant has been known to use Israeli arak in cocktails. The city closes earlier than Tel Aviv and Shabbat observance is more widespread — plan accordingly.
Haifa: A growing cocktail and spirits bar scene centred on Masada Street in the lower city. Not as extensive as Tel Aviv but worth checking for visiting the Golan Heights whisky and spirits producers in the north (Golan Heights Winery produces brandy expressions; smaller Golan distillers may offer tastings — verify availability in advance).
Ben Gurion Airport Terminal 3 duty-free is the most reliable single location for the widest M&H range — including some Israel-exclusive expressions that are not available for export. Allow time before your flight. The duty-free whisky section has expanded significantly since 2022 as Israeli whisky has gained international recognition.
Specialist bottle shops in Tel Aviv (Florentin, Dizengoff area) and Jerusalem (near Mahane Yehuda) carry the M&H core range plus occasional craft gin labels. Staff at specialist shops tend to be knowledgeable — ask what’s new and what they’d recommend for your palate.
Customs allowances: Most Western countries allow 1 litre of spirits duty-free per person. If you want to bring home more than one bottle, check your home country’s customs rules before buying; enforcement varies but the official limit is typically 1L.
Israel’s drinks culture is broader than spirits alone — the Israel craft beer guide covers the Tel Aviv brewing scene in detail, and the Israel wine & wineries guide covers the full regional wine picture from the Galilee to the Negev. The Judean Hills wine trail is the best single day-trip from Jerusalem for serious wine tourism.
For the full Tel Aviv food and drink context, see the Tel Aviv food guide and the Carmel Market guide.
Kosher: M&H Distillery is kosher-certified. Some craft gin and arak producers are not — verify if this matters for your situation.
Shabbat closures: Most specialist spirits bars in Tel Aviv close Friday afternoon (roughly 3–4 pm) and reopen Saturday night after Shabbat ends. Plan your tasting route for Sunday through Thursday for maximum availability.
Prices: M&H core range expressions retail at approximately ₪180–400 in Israel. Apex and limited-edition releases command higher prices and sell out. Tasting tours at the distillery are priced on the distillery website; do not depend on prices in this guide — verify current pricing directly.
Language: English is universally spoken at M&H Distillery and at specialist spirits bars in Tel Aviv. Guided tours at the distillery are available in English.
Yes — M&H (Milk & Honey) Distillery has won multiple awards at the World Whiskies Awards, including World's Best Single Cask at the 2021 WWA and World's Best Single Malt in 2023. These are among the most rigorous blind-tasting competitions in the spirits industry. The wins were widely covered by Whisky Advocate, The Guardian, The New York Times and the Israeli press, and put Israeli single malt on the map as a credible premium whisky producing country.
M&H Distillery is located in Tel Aviv and offers guided tours and tastings by appointment. Visits run Monday to Friday and should be booked in advance via the distillery website. A typical visit lasts approximately 90 minutes and includes a tour of the production floor, barrel warehouse and bottling area, followed by a guided tasting of core range expressions and, when available, limited Apex cask releases. The distillery is not set up for walk-in visitors — advance booking is essential.
M&H core range bottles (Classic, Elements series, Apex cask expressions) are available in Israel at specialist wine and spirits shops in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa; at duty-free in Ben Gurion Airport Terminal 3 (some Israel-exclusive expressions only available here); and internationally via specialist whisky retailers in Europe, the UK and North America. In Israel, retail prices for M&H core expressions run approximately ₪180–400; limited Apex releases command higher prices and sell out quickly. Check the M&H website for current stockists.
Israel has a growing craft gin scene using local botanicals. Labels to look out for include Golani Gin (using Golan Heights herbs), Levant Gin (Mediterranean botanicals including carob, sage and citrus), and Dead Sea Gin (mineral-focused, unusual concept). Availability varies — small-batch production means certain labels may not be on shelves consistently. The best way to try several is at a specialist spirits bar in Tel Aviv or at Beer Bazaar, which stocks Israeli craft spirits alongside its craft beer range.
Arak is the traditional anise-flavoured spirit of the Eastern Mediterranean and is produced in both Israel and Lebanon (as well as across the Levant and wider Middle East). Israeli arak is typically grape-based and anise-flavoured, diluted with water before drinking, and served with mezze. Both Israeli and Lebanese arak share the same core tradition and are closely related; the differences are subtle and primarily in the grape varieties used and local style preferences. Arak is widely available at mezze restaurants and is the traditional accompaniment to a long mezze meal.
M&H (Milk & Honey) Distillery holds kosher certification for its whisky. This is notable in the international whisky industry — production adheres to kosher standards including the use of certified ingredients and rabbinical supervision. Many smaller Israeli craft distilleries are not kosher-certified; if kashrut is important to you, verify with the specific producer. When served at bars and restaurants, check whether the venue is kosher-supervised if this matters for your situation.
Israeli whisky ages under warm Mediterranean conditions — Tel Aviv sees summer temperatures of 30–35°C and high humidity from the sea. This means the spirit interacts more intensively with the cask than in Scotland's cooler climate: the 'angel's share' (evaporation from casks) is higher, flavour extraction from the wood is faster, and the whisky develops in notably fewer years than a comparable Scottish malt. M&H has built its house style around this accelerated maturation: many expressions are aged 3–5 years yet have the complexity of older Scotch. This is a genuine stylistic difference, not a shortcut — Mediterranean-aged whiskies from Israel, India and Taiwan each have their own character.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated