Review #176 - Noah's Mill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Produced at the Willett Distillery, Noah's Mill bourbon is a small batch product coming out of Bardstown, Kentucky. There's no age statement on the label, and really, not much other information in general available on the bottle or website - no word on mashbill or barrel specifics.
According to the brand, this bourbon should present notes of nuts and dark fruit, a relatively complex character. With a nice strength of 57.15% ABV (114.3 proof), we should see plenty of flavor - whether or not it will match their tasting notes remains to be seen.
Noah's Mill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 60 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 57.15% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 14 months; bottles at 20%, 100%, and 80% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Rounded and balanced for the most part, with some sharper oak, nutmeg, vanilla bean, brown sugar, and caramel pie. There's a hint of herbal spice, hinting at some rye in the mashbill, and the oak turns toward sawdust and toast later on. With time, there are tiny hints of dark sweet fruits, like Luxardo cherries, and an anise spice eventually surfaces.
Palate: Rich and powerful, with plenty of oak and maple sugar. It's toasty, warm, and the predominant flavors are baking spice: vanilla, bruleed sugar, caramel, and red-hot candies. The cheeks pucker from strong tannins, and there's a soft, earthy character in the background - maybe a high-rye mashbill? Later, hints of petrichor and licorice arrive.
Finish: Medium-long, oaky again, and the same baking theme: maple brown sugar, baked bread, creme brulee - quite sugary overall, really. Grows a little more dry into the aftertaste, with lingering flavors of anise, nutmeg, dry hay, and some pepper.
Final Note: Presents nicely at first, and continues to be pleasant to sip, but some of that complexity falls away in the second sip, and the flavors become a little softer. Still, this is a nice, oak-forward bourbon with a solid strength; considering the price around $60 for a 'barrel strength' bourbon, it's decent value, too.
Our Average Rating: 6.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.75
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