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Minden Mill Bourbon

IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: Foley Family Wines & Spirits

Distillery: Minden Mill Distilling

Release Date: November 2024 (Ongoing)

Proof: 94

Age: 4 Years

Mashbill: 60% Corn, 20% Rye, 10% Oats, 10% Barley

Color: Dark Copper

MSRP: $45 / 750mL (2025)

Official Website

Press Release

Minden Mill Distilling is an estate distillery located in Minden, Nevada, which opened in February 2019. The mill in which the distillery is located has a long and storied past. Its main operation ended in the late 1960s, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places. After failed attempts to use it for other purposes, it sat until 2012. When owner Don Bently died in 2012, his son Christopher took over ownership of all his business interests.

From 2015 to 2019, the younger Bently spent an estimated $100 million converting the former Minden Flour Mill into Bently Heritage Distillery. However, this project was short-lived. The distillery closed in March 2022 and was put up for sale in May 2022. In May 2023, Las Vegas Golden Knights pro hockey team owner Bill Foley purchased the distillery for approximately $12 million and reopened it.

Starting in August 2023, distilling operations were conducted by Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan. He was previously the master distiller for Clear Creek Distillery and Hood River Distillers. Though the distillery makes bourbon and rye, they are particularly keen on American single malts, as O’Sullivan apprenticed under Steve McCarthy, who is widely recognized as the pioneer of American single malt.

NOSE

Opening with gentle, pleasing scents of dried cherry and fresh oatmeal, the aroma surprisingly lacks any hints of youth. Additional scents of light oak and vanilla are present, along with the faintest hint of cinnamon powder. While the dried cherry and oatmeal notes are most prominent, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as they are delivered with just enough oomph to be pleasing without being overpowering. A nice way to open the sip.

palate

The midpoint brings about more traditional flavors of oak, vanilla, and leather. A sprinkle of baking spices appears, along with vanilla-frosted yellow cake in tow. It delivers these flavors with a surprisingly thin mouthfeel for a 94 proof bourbon. It’s an enjoyable combination of flavors, but the thinness takes away from the overall delivery and holds it back from being more effective.

finish

A gentle burst of baking and rye spices kicks things off. Dry oak and leather follow along with a simmering spice-fueled heat. These flavors are short-lived, though, as the finish stops almost as soon as it starts. Much like the palate, the finish seems like it has more potential but just stops short of reaching the next level.

uniqueness

Minden Mill Bourbon is in a strange position. Since it’s aged 4 years, this means it was created under the old Bently ownership and by a different master distiller. While consumers might fall for what is currently bottled, that’s not to say it will continue to taste this way in the future as Foley Family Wines & Spirits puts their own personal touch on their bourbon in the future. This could include different proofs or even different mashbills.

Potential future changes aside, Minden Mill does bring a unique twist to their whiskey lineup as they are crafted using 100% estate-grown grains, and then distilled and aged entirely on-site. Stating, “To be an estate distillery, every step of the process must be controlled from start to finish by the distillery, with 85% of raw materials coming from the estate. Minden Mill Distilling takes this designation further by only sourcing grains from within five miles of the distillery from land under Minden Mill’s control.” They also malt their own barley on site, joining the likes of Frey Ranch and Hillrock Estate as some of the very few American distilleries that do the same.

The end result, however, doesn’t translate to a noticeably different tasting bourbon. The opening aroma shows promise of taking this whiskey on a path normally not seen, however, the palate and finish don’t drive it in that direction. Future iterations may showcase more of the unique distillation traits employed but for now, the resulting sip doesn’t tell the unique journey it took to get here.

value

Craft distilleries are usually known for pricing their products higher than more well-established distilleries. This is often due to economies of scale, along with trying to recoup startup costs. Minden Mill Bourbon follows this same path as others, releasing a 4 year old bourbon for $45. However, unlike other craft distilleries, when you take into account that the whiskey is 100% estate-distilled and one of the least expensive estate-distilled products you can purchase, the price being asked becomes more justified. Consumers, though, will only care so much about its estate distilled label, instead honing in more on the resulting whiskey in the bottle. Taking into account the lighter sip delivered in conjunction with its estate-distilled qualification, results in Minden Mill Bourbon’s MSRP being a fair asking price.

overall

One of the few estate distilleries in the country, Minden Mill Bourbon delivers an easy-to-enjoy sip, but what it will taste like in the future is anyone’s guess.

Minden Mill Bourbon is a whiskey that has a lot of interesting history behind it. The distillery that the Bently’s started now is owned and being guided by Foley Family Wines & Spirits. This means Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan may yet still make his mark on the brand and the whiskeys they produce. It will be interesting to follow the progression as the old stock dwindles and the new distillate overseen by O’Sullivan eventually makes it to market in a few years. In the meantime, the bourbon that is being bottled delivers a light, pleasing sip, though its lightness is also what makes it have a hard time differentiating itself in the marketplace.

The sample used for this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy its respective company. We thank them for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.
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Written By: Jordan Moskal

January 29, 2025
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