Renowned for rye, America’s first whiskey, since our founding in 1753, we take production of every barrel of Michter’s Rye very seriously. Michter's US-1 Rye is made from select American rye grain that is sheared to enable the saturation of more flavor during fermentation. It is then aged in a heated warehouse. This premium rye has hints of light spice, black pepper, marmalade and plum, spicy grain and light caramel.
Michter’s US-1 Bourbon is made from a carefully selected mashbill that features the highest quality American corn. It is then matured to the peak of perfection, with barrels often aging in excess of eight years. Truly “small batch,” each batch of our US*1 Bourbon is typically composed of no more than two dozen barrels, leaving no margin for “blending out” imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter’s US*1 Bourbon is nuanced, mellow, and earthy.
Mature in age and truly exceptional in quality, Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon has earned its place as an enduring favorite of the most discerning whiskey connoisseurs. The “Best American Whiskey” according to Food & Wine magazine, our 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon represents the culmination of over a decade of patient aging in our specially chosen, new charred American white oak barrels.
Unlike Bourbon or Rye, which, by definition, must be aged in new oak barrels, our US 1 Unblended American Whiskey is aged in a way that utilizes bourbon-soaked barrels to achieve a rich and unique flavor profile. In late 2013, Master Distiller Willie Pratt agreed to re-release our US 1 Unblended American Whiskey after a nearly three-year absence from the market, deeming it “just right” and “the best it’s ever been.” Crucially, our US 1 Unblended American Whiskey never contains grain neutral spirits – hence its “unblended” distinction.
Pennsylvania distilled his first batch of whiskey from hardy rye. Michter's has continued this distilling tradition by releasing an impressive selection of high quality, limited production whiskeys including single barrel rye, very small batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon and very small batch unblended American whiskey. Once Michter's most popular release, Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey was discontinued in 1989 and disappeared from the marketplace. However, to the delight of Michter's fans everywhere, the distillery has recreated this limited edition expression in accordance with the traditional sour mash process. A complex nose of dried fruit, pine needles, herbal tea and peppery spice is followed by an earthy, herbaceous palate accented by hints of caramel, roasted coffee, vanilla and oak on the finish.
Introduced to great acclaim in the Fall of 2014, Michter’s Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon is a groundbreaking whiskey expression. It is made by taking Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and then aging it for an additional period in a second custom made barrel. This second barrel is assembled from 18-month air dried wood and then toasted but not charred. The truly unique and delicious taste of Michter’s US 1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon represents a remarkable achievement given that it is Kentucky Straight Bourbon with nothing extra added or done except placement in a second toasted barrel.
While we regularly sample all our Michter’s barrels to see how our whiskey is aging, we pay even extra special attention to our barrels once they are over 17 years old. At Michter’s we consider 17 to 20 years the “Fork In The Road Point” when certain barrels of whiskey can achieve an extraordinary level of quality. It is these particular barrels that our Master Distiller Willie Pratt personally selects for our very limited bottling of Michter’s 20 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon.