Initial Thoughts
Noah’s Mill Bourbon, is a unique bourbon in the fact that it’s somewhat difficult to find information about. From what I’ve been able to find, it’s labeled as a ‘Small Batch Boutique Bourbon’. That’s something that you typically hear in the cigar world, not usually in the world of bourbon. Nevertheless, I have the bottle, so I’m going to review it!
What I have been able to find out is that this bourbon is actually sourced from a distillery in Kentucky. Mum’s the word on which distillery actually produces it. We do know that it’s bottled by Noah’s Mill Distilling company in Bardstown. However, if you do a Google search for Noah’s Mill you’ll find a link to the Willet Distillery’s website. So after a bit more digging, it turns out that an independent company known as the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) are actually bottling this stuff, and other bourbons at the old Willet distillery. In fact, in 2012 they recently got their stills up and running again to start producing some juice. So it will take some time to actually taste the fruit of those labors. Until then we’ll just have to enjoy the source whiskey that is coming out of their barrels.
Digging a bit deeper I started learning more and more about this Noah’s Mill Bourbon. Turns out it uses a unique mixture of mash bills, ranging from low – high rye and even a wheated mash in there. It’s a very uncommon technique, and in fact I’ve never heard of it before. So I was further interested in trying this bourbon. There is a lot of mystique surround this bourbon and what all it has going on. I’m continuing to learning more about it and hopefully more comes out about it in the future, but for now I’m just happy enough to uncork it and enjoy it. So let’s get into that.
Looks
The bottle that this Noah’s Mill Bourbon uses is similar to a wine bottle. It doesn’t look like a typical bourbon bottle. I’m not sure if it’s cheaper to bottle it this way or not. It has a slight green tint to it and that classic wine bottle shape. The front label is a grey paper that has the name up top. The background of the label is a nice piece of scenery that includes a mill and some trees with a creek running through it. The scenery looks hand drawn but very detailed as well.
Around the neck of the bottle is a paper hang tag that dives into what the term ‘Small Batch’ actually means. Below the hang tag is a sticker label that is placed on diagonally that describes the proof of this bottling 57.15%! That just about covers everything on the bottle. I think it’s time to pour a glass and settle in and see what it has to offer.
Reviewed Neat
Nose
The on this Noah’s Mill Bourbon is fairly complex. Offering a good dose of alcohol, you can really feel that 57% coming out of the glass. Opens up the sinuses a bit. Initially I get some dark cherry and dark fruit like plums. That syrup or molasses note also shows up. Followed by a heavy dose of vanilla and it rounds out with some thick oak notes as well.
Palate
On the palate some other notes begin to take shape. I get a bit of toffee, that dark cherry is very prominent as well. The spice kicks it up and it feels like baking spices round it all out at the end. Very unique and delicious all in the same swig.
Finish
The finish of this Noah’s Mill Bourbon offers a nice mouth coating. Throwing around notes of spice there is also a good dose of mocha / chocolate. Deep into the finish I get more of the oak and this peppermint note that was interesting to say the least. A very complex and full of depth bourbon.
Conclusion:
This Noah’s Mill Bourbon definitely has my attention. I really enjoyed it and honestly, not sure if I have tasted anything like it. It offered a ton of different notes. It made it seem like the distillers/blenders were trying to hit quite a few different flavor profiles. I feel like Inception here, each level that you dive into gets more complex and affects the others. Overall, though a great bourbon and one that I will reach for again. I think that each ‘Small Batch’ will offer something different. I enjoyed it and would highly recommend that if you see this bottle you reach out and pick it up. It’s a bit pricy at around $50 a bottle, but give it a try!
