Noah's Mill Bourbon

Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve not yet reviewed. I haven’t had Noah’s Mill in quite some time. I recall first having it at a party, and I liked it, so I bought a bottle (apparently there are different releases, so I don’t know if the one I had at the party was the same release as the one I’d bought later). I haven’t had any in a long time, and with all these other bourbons and whiskies begging for my attention… Pantone 144 in color. Interesting nose: my initial impression was Balsam Fir, which morphed to fruit cake, corn syrup, Heath bar, some rye, a whiff of vanilla, and quite a lot of spearmint coolness. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a nice viscosity. Some of the Heath bar toffee shows up again on the palate, along with dried orange rind. The heat is noticeable on the back end, though it’s not disjointed. Finishes medium to not-quite long with vanilla, some char, and a touch of rye spiciness. There’s a lot to like about Noah’s Mill. Like the Jefferson’s Ocean Voyage 17 that preceded it, Noah’s Mill shows more rye than I’d expected, and as such lacked some bourbon typicity (though not nearly as much as the Jefferson’s Ocean). After repeated tasing of the Noah’s Mill, I poured some Maker’s Mark (a wheated bourbon) as a benchmark for comparison; this batch of Noah’s Mill is no-doubt high-rye. Wild Turkey’s mashbill is also high-rye, and I love it; so it’s not the rye per se. It simply lacks overt bourbon typicity. The overall impression is a smooth, creamy, high-proof, high-rye bourbon, but I recall liking this much more in the past. This is not a sipper I’d enjoy; nor is it something I’d use in cocktails. There are far cheaper high-proof cocktail bourbons (Benchmark Full Proof or Old Grand Dad 114); or, I’d rather spend the extra $20-30 for something like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, which has a 12-year age statement as well as another 15 or so proof points on average, and is far superior in every way, regardless of which of the three annual releases of it one happens to have. Or if I want rye, there’s numerous ryes I could have. Would I buy Noah’s Mill again, even knowing that it was a different release? No. Batch 18-36. 114.3 proof. 3.0 on the Distiller scale. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

I’m a big fan of Rowan’s Creek. I’ve always considered this to be its very slightly older brother. I know they both used to have age statements, so that statement was probably true at one point. But this now, and this is the Noah’s Mill we’ve got. Here’s to hoping it delivers another victory for Willett. This is from Batch 22-25. Nose: Toasted almond and pecan, as well as the unique pistachio note that I get in some ryes (including Willett’s.) Cocoa, fudge, and caramel. Some dried apricot. Vick’s Vapor Rub. Black cherry. A touch of vanilla and toffee. Pipe smoke and orange peel. Lots of spice. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and heavy oak. Palate: The pistachio hits heavy, accompanied my toasted almond, pecan, and walnut. Vick’s Vapor Rub. Black cherry. Some Apple cider. Cocoa, fudge, milk chocolate, and caramel. VanillaPipe smoke and orange peel. Barrel smoke, and a fistful of black pepper, with some clove, nutmeg, allspice, and an overhand right from the oak. Finish: Hot as hell. Cocoa. Fudge and caramel. Vanilla. Pipe smoke and orange peel. Dried apricot. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and of course, oak. Long finish. This is a very interesting bourbon. The profile finds itself to be “off the beaten path” in the best way possible. It’s a powerful beast of a whiskey that has few comparables; especially at this price point. A bitter, smokey, spicy affair for certain. But it boasts dark fruit, rich sweetness, and high-octane goodness that should impress even an experienced bourbon drinker. When considering VFM, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better bourbon. This only ran me $60, and this can compete with the Booker’s and Elijah Craig BPs. 4.5/5 for this under-appreciated gem.

I was invited to a very fancy restaurant in Loisville, Kentucky; and of course i ask for their bourbon list. I found this whiskey thatbi have been wanting to try for a long time. The Noah's Mill. A wonderful "old paperish" looking label, on a brown bottle that seemed very vintage. This one comes at an appealing 57.15%abv. On the nose, it starts salty. Salted caramel. Everything very salted. Fish market. Smells beautiful. BBQ sauce. On the palate, i get Lemon, toffee. Strong pepper and corn. Thick caramel. Aftertaste follows the rythm. Caramel, toffee. Coffee with milk and a hint of smoke. Overall, this one was a very balanced, powerful but enjoyable dram. I really love how good looking the bottle is. The flavors and aromas are a little bit classic, but well delivered. My score for it is 88 over 100.

My wife needed to buy a bottle of bourbon to use for a high end cocktail, so I recommended buying this. The main reasons being that the price was doable and mostly because I've never tried it. 😁 I must say this was an impressive pour. The aroma contained sweet fruit, baking spice, and leather. When taking my first sip I received a nice warm kick from the abv strength that smoothed out over time. The flavors were a pleasant mix of cinnamon red hot candy and leather. Wood from the oak emerged at times as well. The mouthfeel was somewhat oily/creamy allowing the finish to endure for a bit which I thoroughly enjoyed. After seeing bottles of this on the shelf for a time, I ponder why I waited so long to obtain one for myself. Better late than never I say!

It might be after the other whiskeys that I have been reviewing today (only 2 so far) but I am not getting a smell off it other than the alcohol. Maybe a hint of bittee coffee? The taste does have an herbal bitterness to it. After a few sips, there is a leathery taste that comes through. The finish is decently lengthy and not pleasant. Overall, I didn't find anything that is redeeming about it.

Total Score : 2.75 [Eng] [Nose] - Smooth and sweet - Milk chocolate - A fruit scent that's not strong but has a presence. [Palete] - Smooth - Sweet, but it's spicier towards the end. [Finish] - A slight smell of alcohol. - Sweet scent. [Kor] [Nose] - 부드럽고 달콤 - 밀크 초코 - 진하진 않지만 존재감 있는 과일향. [Palete] - 부드러움. - 달콤했다가 끝으로 갈수록 스파이시해짐. [Finish] - 알콜향이 살짝 올라옴. - 달콤한 향.