Minden Mill American Single Malt Review [In Depth]
Minden Mill American Single Malt Whiskey
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Minden Mill American Single Malt Details
Distillery: Minden Mill
Type & Region: American single malt, Nevada, USA
Alcohol: 47%
Composition: 100% malted barley
Aged: 5 years
Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (chestnut, oloroso sherry)
Price: $60
From the company website:
Our process is one of the world’s most innovative. Combining cutting-edge heating systems with Forsyth stills, Scotland’s premier still manufacturers. Made with 100% estate-grown barley that is malted on site, this expression offers an elevated flavor profile with notes of coffee and almond, ideal for those seeking something new from American whiskey. Aged five years in a barrel regime of Oloroso sherry, ex-bourbon, and American oak casks. ABV 47%. Non-chill filtered.
Minden Mill American Single Malt overview
Minden Mill, the new-ish distillery out of Minden, Nevada, has released their first ever American Single Malt whiskey…and somehow it’s already 5 years old. That’s a long time to wait for a first release (at least I think it’s their first), and I commend it.
American Single Malt whiskey is a growing area of American whiskey that lives in a weird place. As a single malt, it’s still in the shadow of globally popular Single Malt Scotch. As an American whiskey, it’s also not nearly as big / popular / known as bourbon is, and I doubt that it will ever become that large.
As a refresher, American Single Malt means a whiskey made in the United States at a single distillery from 100% malted barley. Therefore, single malt Scotch means whiskey distilled at a single distillery in Scotland from 100% malted barley. There are other rules, but that covers most of it. Fun fact, as of December 2024, American Single Malt is an officially recognized type of American whiskey, just like bourbon and rye are.
Back to Minden Mill Distilling. Long story short (long version here at Reno News and Review) is that the distillery as we sort of know it today was founded in 2019 and called Bently Heritage. Operations were severely impacted because of the Pandemic and the distillery struggled to stay open and operate.
It was eventually sold to Foley Family Wine and Spirits, and was re-opened in 2023 as Minden Mill Distilling. The name makes a lot of sense because it is located in Minden, Nevada. There’s also a mill on-site, so Minden Mill makes sense to me.
I noticed an interesting statement in the press release that gives me conflicting feelings, “All the whiskeys are aged in climate controlled rickhouses tied to specific weather stations in whiskey regions that inspired the distiller: the Speyside region of Scotland for the American single malt and Nelson County, KY for the bourbon and rye.” Interesting…the rickhouses have climate controlled differently to mimic weather from different parts of the world.
For Scotland, that means a relatively cool and not too humid environment with narrower fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This isn’t Kentucky where winters are often below freezing and summers are like hellfire. Therefore, whiskey ages less rapidly in Scotland than it does in Kentucky.
While the idea of temperature controlling to mimic a place is interesting, my gut tells me that I don’t like it because it minimizes the impact of Nevada’s climate on the whiskey. Minden Mill continuously emphasizes Nevada and the unique climate, but temperature controlled rickhouses to make it more like Scotland removes that “terroir” from the aging process.
Sure, Nevada’s terroir is captured with the local grains and water, but the interaction between weather, whiskey, and oak is a major factor in how the whiskey matures. They’re contradicting themselves and it feels off to me. Maybe it will pay off in the end.
Let’s find out what’s going on with Nevada’s take on single malt whiskey in this Minden Mill American Single Malt Whiskey review.
This bottle has been provided to me at no cost. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Minden Mill American Single Malt smell
The scents start with creamy honey, cherry, candied orange, toasted malt, cinnamon, oak, vanilla cream, pineapple, dried apricot, ripe fruit funk, mint, an overarching floral character. Minden Mill American Single Malt is fruit-forward and really nice. The oloroso wine part comes out the most for me, but there’s also nice citrusy and toasty scents for better range and character.
Minden Mill American Single Malt has round scents, but also some noticeable flabbiness that makes the roundness feel a little hollow at times. Great definition and clarity are telltale signs of a very mature and well crafted whiskey, and this isn’t all the way there yet…although it’s only 5 years old.
Overall though, this smells really good, like a 12-15 year old single Malt Scotch finished in sherry casks. Those are at least $100-150, if not more.
After swirling and 15 minutes or rest, I smell slightly more vibrant honey, candied orange, cherry jam, starfruit, toasted malt and some oak, vanilla, cinnamon, and some vibrant pineapple and mint. Minden Mill American Single Malt smells so much like a 10-12 year old single malt Scotch that it’s uncanny.
The oloroso sherry, bourbon, and American oak casks come through with the various types of fruitiness plus spice and oak, making it a varied and interesting whiskey. The flabbiness and missing vibrant pop holds it back from being excellent, but this is still great.
Minden Mill American Single Malt taste and aftertaste
I taste honey, ripe cherries / red grapes, apricot, toasted malt, creamy vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, starfruit, candied orange, and a little darker nougat sweetness. Minden Mill American Single Malt tastes very much like it smells: fruit-forward with the cherry and dark fruit from the oloroso sherry casks leading the way, followed by some toasted oak, grain, and spice.
It’s delicious and the flavors have pretty good viscosity and body. The flabbiness is still there, but the flavors are still rich and separated enough that it’s not a major drawback. This really does drink like a $100 single malt Scotch. If you drink unpeated Scotch, then this will feel very familiar.
After “chewing”, there’s richer honey, cherry + candied orange + starfruit that pop, vanilla, toasted malt, toasted oak, anise, mint, this vibrant floral and tropical feeling, and then more toastiness. “Chewing” brings out the richness and pop that I’ve been searching for, so I’m pleased.
Minden Mill American Single Malt is a vibrant, mostly rich, and interesting whiskey that has me hooked with the forward fruitiness and pleasant supporting spice. The oloroso sherry cask component leads the way with the dark and candied fruits that rarely exist in bourbon or rye, and everything else weaves in and out of that. I’m a major sucker for sherry-influenced Scotches, so this really gets me.
The finish initially leaves cherry, apricot, candied orange, toasted oak, toasted malt, and cinnamon. After “chewing”, the aftertaste leaves honey, candied orange and cherry, starfruit, toasted oak and malt, vanilla, and cinnamon, leaving a really pleasant and refreshing fruitiness with some effervescent anise and mint for at least 2 minutes afterwards.
My main critique is the not so great definition and clarity that hold back the flavors from their full potential. From my experience, it’s a consistent drawback with all of Minden Mill’s whiskeys. It could be me, but it also could be something that they’re doing during the production process that leads to this. If it’s them, then I hope that they can find a way to address it.
You know what though, Minden Mill American Single Malt is a really well made single malt that showcases that the United States can compete with Scotland to provide equally as compelling whiskeys.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Minden Mill American Single Malt Rating
Of the bourbon, rye, and single malt, Minden Mill American Single Malt Whiskey is easily their best whiskey to date and even gives $100+ single malt Scotches a run for their money. I think that this is their first ever release of single malt whiskey, which makes it even more impressive that they did such an amazing job with it. Of course there’s still room for improvement, but the sky’s the limit for them.
I’ve had $300 single malt Scotches that have been way less interesting than this (and not rated as highly)…which is also indicative of just how over-inflated some Scotch prices are + Minden Mill’s restraint with pricing. Thanks for not going crazy.
I’ve been enjoying a few American Single Malts as of late. I still haven’t had that many, but what I’ve had so far has been very good so I think that American distilleries are onto something here. Scotch is great and all, but they really need to get prices under control because some of the Scotches I’ve had recently (given to me as media samples) are aggressively bad for the price.
So who is this whiskey for? If you enjoy your Scotches with some sherry influence (or Scotch in general), then I strongly believe that you will enjoy this a lot. When you’re out shopping for Scotch and you find this, you should definitely consider buying this. If you’re a bourbon lover who wants to branch out to another American whiskey (and does not like smoke / peat), this is also a compelling option. The short answer is most whiskey lovers.
$60 is a steal for a single malt (or American whiskey) of this quality. Keep it up Minden Mill and keep working hard at making this even better. You know what my critiques are, so go take care of them.
And P.S., fix your tasting notes. “Elevated flavor profile with notes of coffee and almond,” laughably undersells how interesting this actually is.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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