Zachary-Robbins
Noah's Mill Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
October 11, 2020 (edited November 8, 2020)
Batch No. 19-44
Open 4.5 months
Nose - Hot ethanol, peanut funk, white grapes, citrus zest, cinnamon dust, light brown sugar, singes the nose
Palate - Strong ethanol burn, stale mixed nuts, bright citrus, eucalyptus, light brown sugar, light black pepper. It finishes with increased ethanol burn and very dry oak tannins.
This whiskey is hyped as a good, affordable high proof bourbon. I think a lot of those reviews were with an age statement based on Google searches. What I purchased was hot, hot, hot, with the ethanol burn dominating every facet of this whiskey. After 4+ months it still hasn't opened up, it drinks like it's 130 proof without any of the beautiful flavors you find in ECBP or Jack Daniel's. Imagine the hottest one-note Maker's Mark Cask Strength and amp that up a few notches. This tastes far too immature, it should have been in the barrel for at least a couple more years. I purchased Rowan's Creek with this, and think the Rowan's Creek is a superior product at a more affordable price. My recommendation is pass on this because in the $50-60 range you can find a lot of great high proof bourbons with much more complex flavors.
56.36
USD
per
Bottle
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Yeah, it's another thing to have to worry about @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington :( As if price spikes, disappearing age statements, and inferior barrels weren't enough.
@ContemplativeFox @BDanner it seems like Noah’s Mill is a case study in blending sourced bourbon with a namesake’s own aged distillate. We need a formula to predict when sourced, overaged blends will capsize in terms of quality...
@BDanner It can be really hard to guess what is about to become unobtainable or decrease in quality.
@Zachary-Robbins we may have discovered why Virgin 101 list it’s age statement. It all headed to Noah’s Mill. I hate I passed on earlier versions of this and Rowan’s. I think those were probably excellent.
I have come to the conclusion that Noah’s and Rowan’s have some “legacy” hype from the early days of the bourbon boom when they contained premium barrels and lengthy ages but were still out of the growing mainstream radar... so cult classics if you will. I’m not sure the contents these days justify that reputation.
@ContemplativeFox I went to SC to buy a few bottles I don't see here and this is by far my most disappointing purchase, in addition to being the most expensive purchase.
You pretty much described my bottle. It's been open for probabaly over a year now and it still has this massive alcohol harshness and flavor along with some rough notes like mushrooms and none of the elegance, complexity, or hedonism of the likes of JD BP, ECBP, or WT RB. It could be batch variation, but I fear a drop in quality and I probabaly won't be buying another bottle either.