Minden Mill Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Minden Mill Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Minden Mill Bourbon Details
Distillery: Minden Mill
Type & Region: Bourbon, Nevada, USA
Alcohol: 47%
Composition: 60% corn, 20% rye, 10% oats, 10% barley
Aged: At least 4 years
Color: 1.4/2.0 on the color scale (tawny)
Price: $45-50
From the company website:
A modern take on classic American whiskey, this bourbon is crafted with 60% Earth Tone heirloom corn, 20% rye, 10% barley, and 10% oats. It features notes of cherry cola, vanilla, and light spices, with a long, sweet finish. Aged four years in new charred American and French oak. ABV 47%. Non-chill filtered.
Minden Mill Bourbon overview
When I think of Nevada whiskey, I think of Frey Ranch, not Minden Mill. Fair or not, they’ve done a good job of marketing themselves to the broader US customer, or at least having the most people post about them across social media. I think that the distillery + Foley Family Wine and Spirits (the parent company) are looking to change that and make a big name for themselves.
First off, who / what the heck is Minden Mill? Turns out that it’s not a straightforward answer. 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.
Since this Minden Mill Bourbon is 4 years old and I’m reviewing this in late 2024, the distillery was distilling and aging whiskey in 2020, the year after it opened. Even back then, the distillery sourced local grains, some of which went into this Minden Mill Bourbon. I think they grow a lot of their own grains now, just like Frey Ranch does, which is a great way to infuse unique character into whiskey. I’m curious how that turns out.
At least as of when I’m writing this review, you can tell that Minden Mill is just ramping up commercially because the website needs a lot of work. The website has no information on any of the whiskeys, except images of the front of each bottle. There’s more functionality to buy whiskey than to learn about it. Hopefully they get that fixed.
The mashbill has an interesting twist – 10% of it is oats. The only other bourbon I’ve ever had with oats in it is New Riff Winter Whiskey (Bourbon), which was wild, insane, and all sorts of unique. I didn’t love all that weirdness, but I still mostly enjoyed it.
Let’s find out what’s been milling in Nevada (sorry for the bad pun) in this Minden Mill Bourbon review.
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 Bourbon smell
I smell caramel, mintiness, dried cherry and baked red apple, toasted oak, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla, and a little toasted grain and pine. There’s a unique and fragrant mint and allspice / mace (the spice, not the spray to fend off attackers) that I rarely get with bourbon.
Minden Mill Bourbon smells very nice. It has a nice dark sweetness and dark fruitiness with that aforementioned mint and spice, so the range is already there, but it still feels a little closed-off so the scents don’t leap out of the glass and have great vibrance and life.
I can also tell that the low-end fullness is starting to appear, although it would probably take a few more years of aging + higher ABV to get more of it.
After swirling and rest, I smell honey, mint, allspice, baked red apple and cherry, toasted oak, orange peel, cinnamon, tamarind, and a little pine and pie crust. There definitely are some apple pie vibes here.
Minden Mill Bourbon still smells really nice and again the range is mostly there, but the expressiveness, vibrance, and pop still haven’t emerged. It’s not quite closed off, but it’s also not that open either.
I guess the silver lining, good and bad, is that even though I’m nose deep in the glass, the heat consistently remains controlled. That’s a good thing, but I would trade a little more kick for a more richness and expressiveness.
Overall though, this feels well put together and leaves its unique mark on my nose, but I feel like it could be even better with some tweaks.
Minden Mill Bourbon taste and aftertaste
I taste dark honey, baked red apple and dried cherry, toasted oak, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla, mint, licorice, and some leather in the back. After a few seconds of lightly moving around my mouth, some effervescent and fresh spices come through. It’s a fun and unique twist, and with very mellow heat to boot.
The range is also starting to appear, with fairly well developed sweetness, fruitiness, and spice without any overbearing oak that so far offers darker flavors. This is quite good so far.
The “lower” ABV (or at least what I consider relatively low because 47% isn’t actually low for many people) holds back the flavors. I can feel them starting to emerge, only for the dilution to push it back and somewhat dull the flavors. The ABV is a real bummer, so I hope that a cask strength version comes out soon.
With “chewing” I taste dark honey, baked red apple and brighter cherry, allspice, toasted oak, vanilla, grapefruit peel, vanilla, mint, fennel, cardamom, and cinnamon. The spices add a nice effervescence that I often associate with Indian dishes.
While the flavors open up some, they don’t rush out or explode with “chewing”. It’s unfortunate because the flavors are good, and extra oomph would have taken it a lot higher. Instead, the flavors open up some but the mouthfeel still feels oddly thin. It’s an odd juxtaposition of good flavors and not great viscosity.
The aftertaste leaves lingering dark honey, allspice, cinnamon, honey, toasted oak, mint, and just a hint of pine. Overall, this a fresh, pleasant, and gentle finish.
As much as I mention the spices, Minden Mill Bourbon is a well balanced bourbon that juggles sweetness, fruitiness, spiciness (but not in the hot pepper way), and oak. Apart from the body and fullness being OK but not great, which could be improved with a higher ABV (please do that ASAP), this is a well made and flavorful bourbon that offers an experience I haven’t had with any other bourbon.
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 Bourbon Rating
Minden Mill Bourbon is really good. It’s even more impressive that this is likely some of the earliest bourbon made by the distillery in 2020. All this character and range are already after only 4 years, so there’s a lot to applaud for their inaugural release. If you’re looking to try something new and different, I think that this is definitely a good option.
I like this a lot at times, but the major drawback is the body and density. Even at 47% the body and viscosity feel like they could be 43%, and “chewing” doesn’t unleash much more character. It’s missing a critical dimension to push it up the ranking. I’ve had many bourbons that impressed me after “chewing” and completely changed my thoughts on it, but unfortunately that’s not the case here. “Chewing” helps a little a little, but it still doesn’t do enough to unleash enough character to make a big difference.
I’m somewhat forgiving of the body and density because I like the unique qualities, although I can only rate it so highly as a result.
$45 for a completely homemade 4 year old bourbon using local grains is actually reasonably priced and good value too. If this were $70+, it would be much harder to recommend because the quality isn’t at that level, although I’ve definitely drank more expensive bourbons that weren’t as good. Minden Mill was smart to keep it reasonably priced and I think that you’ll find it worthy for the price as well.
If there were more body and pop in the scents and flavors, I would probably change my tune and say that it’s a must try. There are “Top Shelf” qualities, but it doesn’t put them all together.
I have some homework for Minden Mill – revisit the blend and find ways to improve the body and expressiveness. There’s a “Top Shelf” bourbon in there somewhere.
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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