Single Malt Whisky, 'Ascent'

• Single malt whisky produced by Ruach Distillery in Pardes Hanna, Haifa, Israel
• 100% unpeated malted European 2- and 6-row barley
• Mashed and fermented with local water treated with reverse osmosis; proofed with water from a spring called “Alonei Habashan” in the eastern Golan Heights
• Fermented with a proprietary yeast strain for 4–5 days in a closed 12,000-liter conical brewery fermentation tank
• Double-distilled on all-copper Christian Carl stills: a 3000-liter stripping still and a 2400-liter finishing still fitted with a dephlegmator (reflux condenser)
• Matured in 65% first-fill bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace, 30% new American oak casks from Kelvin Cooperage, and 5% ex-Oloroso sherry butts (Kosher); married and finished in XO Cognac casks (Kosher)
• Barrels age in both dry regions of the Golan Heights and the more humid terroir of Pardes Hanna
• Aging spirit is slow-proofed (water added incrementally)
• Aged a minimum 5 years; non-age statement
• Bountiful fruit on the nose—everything from nectarine and strawberry to pineapple and caramelized banana—all floating on a comforting swell of toffee and cream. Fruit notes are amplified on the palate, which is generous and soft, but given structure by the familiar burr of European barley. The elegant finish runs to leather and cigar box.  
• Limited release of 4000 bottles
• OK Kosher certified
• No added coloring
• Non-chill filtered, bottled at 47.7% ABV

This is a fruit-forward dram that drinks far beyond its age, beautifully integrating multiple cask types for depth and complexity. The World Whiskies Awards agree, naming Ruach Ascent the Best Israeli Single Malt in 2024.