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- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
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Martin Mills, 24 years old, standard 750ml bottle, screw top (!), box packaging, 107 proof. Distilled Dec-1974, bottled Feb-1999, bottle 4248 of 4284. This is a Heaven Hill product. Japan export only item, list price about $150.
From the back label:
"This rare super-premium whiskey is fully matured and aged 24 years in chared white barrels. This is a superb whiskey unlike any others and is notable for its elegant deep and mellow taste. We hope that you will enjoy this whiskey with your special memory of the 20th Century or serve it as the perfect whiskey to help welcome the year 2000."
They look pretty close here. All three are made by Heaven Hill.
A different view shows that the Martin Mills is the darkest.
Color: A very dark amber in the bottle, almost brown, with little color-fading when poured in the glass.
Body: This bourbon clings to the walls of my Riedel glass with thick, long, and oily legs.
Nose: Initially the nose is very spicy with tones of oak and some cinnamon. There are some caramel notes under a woody oaky aroma. Hints of baked apple loom in the background.
Tasting: On the first tasting I notice an fair amount of burn for a 107 proof bourbon. The first notes are quite pronounced with a tannic oaky flavor before the normal bourbon sweetness comes in. The typical vanilla flavor that it seems all premium bourbons have is slow in showing itself but does finnaly arrive. Nutmeg and peppery spice seem to be the dominant flavors here.
Finish: The finish is quite long and smooths out as the alcohol fades. Sweetness lingers for a very long time on the sides of the tongue and caramel flavors becomes more pronounced at the very end of the finish.
Overall: The screw top really through me as I was trying to pull on the top to open the bottle. Screw tops do seal better but it was unexpected. This is an interesting bourbon with the finish being more complex then the initial taste. You have to push through the initial tannic and bit of burn to get to the underlying nuances but it is worth while. Now the question is if it was worth $150 plus shipping from Japan. As a collectible I'd have to say yes, as something to crack open and drink I would say it is close to being the equal to the Even Williams 23 or the Pappy VanWinkle Family Reserve 23. YMMV.
From the back label:
"This rare super-premium whiskey is fully matured and aged 24 years in chared white barrels. This is a superb whiskey unlike any others and is notable for its elegant deep and mellow taste. We hope that you will enjoy this whiskey with your special memory of the 20th Century or serve it as the perfect whiskey to help welcome the year 2000."
They look pretty close here. All three are made by Heaven Hill.
A different view shows that the Martin Mills is the darkest.
Color: A very dark amber in the bottle, almost brown, with little color-fading when poured in the glass.
Body: This bourbon clings to the walls of my Riedel glass with thick, long, and oily legs.
Nose: Initially the nose is very spicy with tones of oak and some cinnamon. There are some caramel notes under a woody oaky aroma. Hints of baked apple loom in the background.
Tasting: On the first tasting I notice an fair amount of burn for a 107 proof bourbon. The first notes are quite pronounced with a tannic oaky flavor before the normal bourbon sweetness comes in. The typical vanilla flavor that it seems all premium bourbons have is slow in showing itself but does finnaly arrive. Nutmeg and peppery spice seem to be the dominant flavors here.
Finish: The finish is quite long and smooths out as the alcohol fades. Sweetness lingers for a very long time on the sides of the tongue and caramel flavors becomes more pronounced at the very end of the finish.
Overall: The screw top really through me as I was trying to pull on the top to open the bottle. Screw tops do seal better but it was unexpected. This is an interesting bourbon with the finish being more complex then the initial taste. You have to push through the initial tannic and bit of burn to get to the underlying nuances but it is worth while. Now the question is if it was worth $150 plus shipping from Japan. As a collectible I'd have to say yes, as something to crack open and drink I would say it is close to being the equal to the Even Williams 23 or the Pappy VanWinkle Family Reserve 23. YMMV.