Bourbon drinkers know that finding Eagle Rare 17 yr is extremely difficult (its actually easier to get your hands on Pappy Van Winkle).  A friend and I were on a quest to locate some of the Eagle Rare.  

I finally found a place that had it – a small place in West Seattle called Ma’Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky Restaurant.  My friend and I traveled out to the location.  The bar in the joint is small, about 5 feet long – I am told that the food is phenomenal there.  We order the Eagle Rare 17 and the bartender, a Hawaiian gal with strong accent, says sure and goes to get the bottle.  We are salvating in the anticipation that we will finally imbibe of some of the highly sought after elixir.  She brings out the bottle and to our dismay there is probably 3/4 of an ounce left in the bottle.  We were crestfallen.  She pours the pathetic amount into a glass for us.  We each get to take a taste before its gone.  It was worth the search.  It tastes like Eagle Rare 10 year but with all of its flavor profile turned up – (ER 10) on steroids.  Carmelly nose.  Toffee and leathery flavors followed by lingering finish.  Super good deserving of a 92 rating.

The bartender meanwhile is standing there looking at our pathetic attempts to drain every drop out of the empty glass.  She says in her accent,  “I have something you should try.  If you like that, you will love this.”  She pulls out a bottle of Noah’s Mill Bourbon.  I had never heard of it before and the label looks homemade.  We are skeptical and then she pours it.  It has a deep almost brown color.  We smell it and it explodes with scents of dried fruit, pear, and butterscotch.  The taste, however, blew us away.  Very broad range of flavors with a bunch of depth.  Flavors ranging from grain, to candy corn, to toffee.  It has a large and lingering finish.  To date it remains one of my favorites and we came upon it by chance chasing a wild goose (ER 17).  I give it a 90.  I am forever indebted to the bartender at the Ma’Ono.