Toasted oak | Vanilla | Hay | Corn | Muted cinnamon | Honeydew | Light overall

Sweet vanilla | Honey | Summer melon | Sweet cinnamon | Peppercorn spice | Undertones of rye spice | Sweeter flavors are quickly overrun by spicier notes

Flash of baking spice | Vanilla | Hint of dry oak | Ramp up of rye spice heat | Short & crisp overall

Ruddell’s Mill Bourbon is named after one of Kentucky’s first covered bridges that was built in 1861. Destroyed by arson in 1964, the name now lives on through the bourbon. The whiskey focuses on a high corn mashbill, that according to the company, “replicates the whiskey mashbills of Kentucky’s early days before there was a legal definition of bourbon.” Without disclosing an actual mashbill, the impact this actually has on the bourbon is hard to say.

The bourbon itself is more straightforward than not. The nose opens on a more tempered note with a slight hint of honeydew being the highlight. The palate introduces intriguing sweeter flavors that are quickly transitioned over to more spicier notes. It’s a shame too since these sweeter notes are truly the highlight of the sip. Finishing out on a straightforward, albeit short note, the bourbon is fine yet leaves you in a state of wishing it provided just a bit more in every part of the sip. Combined with a high price tag, Ruddell’s Mill makes for a frustratingly hard sell.
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The bottle being reviewed is #02327 from batch #0321.