Martin Mills 24 Years was a bourbon Heaven Hill created for the Japanese export market and it is fantastic. Distilled in December of 1974 and bottled in February of 1999 this is one of those legendary bourbons I’ve only heard whispers and tales of until I got the chance to experience it at a blind LAWS bourbon tasting. If you’re wondering how it fared in the opinions of everyone else, and didn’t click the link 20 words back, let’s just say this. It didn’t last long in the reserves.
According to Sku’s review, the Japanese had developed a taste for older bourbon about a decade before America did and to satiate that desire Heaven Hill took some of their old bourbon stock and bottled it as Martin Mills 24 years. Sometime after that Americans began getting ahold of the bottles and telling its delicious tale which is how it became a legendary bourbon and why it sits atop so many “Top X Expensive Bourbons You Have To Try Or Else Your Life Is Meaningless” type of posts and I have to say… it deserves the hype.
Martin Mills 24 Years Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley
Age: 24 years (1974 – 1999)
ABV: 53.5%
Price: NA – Auction or private sale
Martin Mills 24 Years Review
EYE
Dark caramel with red highlights.
NOSE
Dense and rich with notes of cherry heavy dark fruit, caramel, candy-like sweetness, leather, wood, a complex rack of baking spices and a bit of vanilla. Everything about it is warm, complex and inviting.
PALATE
Dark fruit, leather, wood, dark honey, cinnamon, butterscotch heavy dark sweets, spice and a touch of candied citrus towards the end. Again, like the nose, the palate is warm, complex and inviting. If we weren’t tasting so many other amazing whiskeys that night I could have easily just sat and enjoyed this one all evening long.
FINISH
Long and winding road of butterscotch heavy dark sweets, dark fruit, wood and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Perfectly balanced, rich full body and a heavy oily texture.
OVERALL
Martin Mills 24 Years is the bourbon I would drink everyday if I were the King of Earth. I would order every bottle in the land be brought to my castle and I would sink into its darkly sweet and fruity oaken arms to easy my kingly burdens. As birth would have it I’m not a king so I have happily settled for getting to enjoy a glass or three of it at the tasting and for this pauper that will do just fine. If you ever get the chance to grab yourself a sip don’t hesitate. It’s magnificent.
SCORE: 93-97/100 (consumed at a tasting, not at home)
Overall
- Nose
- Palate
- Finish
- BBF
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
Hi Josh.
I happen to have a bottle of Martin Mills in Mint condition,unopened and still in its Presentation box.Included is a Certificate of its production at a distillery that does not exist etc.I also have an email from Heaven Hill stating that they produced it for the Japanese.The Bottle also has a Production Number on the Label.I picked it up from an Auction in 2012.I did have a lot of trouble trying to find out who produced it,even contacting a person at Heaven Hill who said she could not find any record of it.I finally got a answer only recently as to they having produced it.I wish to sell it,but I live in Australia,I want to sell to a Collector who can Appreciate this rare Bourbon.I`am a Bourbon drinker myself and have a liking for top end Bourbons that I can Afford.Prefer Bourbons that are at least 100 Proof or greater.It is difficult to get good bourbons in Australia without getting Ripped Off.I have seen the price they are asking for Martin Mills in the USA.There is a saying about Whiskey.The first rule of whisky is.Its your opinion that counts,so if it tastes good,it must be good.I`am on holidays in Round Rock Texas at the moment and leave in
2 Weeks time to go back to Australia.
Cheers.
Alan.
Hey Alan,
I’d be happy to chat with you about your Martin Mills, but I’m definitley a drinker not a collector so any discussion would be from the perspective of someone wanting to open and drink it and not look at it on a shelf ;) If you’d like to chat use the contact link on the site.
Cheers!
p.s. Hope you’re enjoying your Holiday and if you can find some Weller 12 and Weller 107 while in Texas pick it up. You won’t be disappointed!
Back in 2004 I spent a month in Japan with my girlfriend. My daily drams at the local bar was YAM 12, Hibiki NAS and Wild Turkey 12. The bartender suggested I try something special?! Out comes Martin Mills and Pappy 17 yr. Words cannot describe how good they were! Haven’t thought about MM in a very long time. Well done!
That sounds like a great evening. Cheers!