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As Michter’s continues to face inventory constraints due to strong demand, the company is taking steps to expand capacity responsibly.”
On the palate, we are presented with a big, immediate rush of woody spice and baking spice, along with significant tobacco and toasted oak. The rye grain is there, with classical rye spice and pepper, along with more savory tobacco, along with milk chocolate and plum-like dark stone fruit. At the same time, however, it’s really the oak that steals the whole show, contributing complex spice box and marshmallow notes, along with significant tannin that leads to a fairly dry finish to what begins as a pretty sweet entry. Compared to how it smelled, there’s certainly more spice here — apple pie spice, really — which does hold its own against the woody notes. After recognizing those two, subsequent sips hold much more balance across the palate. Finish Palate: Beautifully restrained rye spice adds an elegant touch to all of the flavors I find here. Honestly, this tastes like it’s above 90 proof as far as intensity of the flavors. The heat is still very restrained. I can find flavors like Andes after-dinner mints and peppermint candy canes. Honey sweetness mixes with baking spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Shaved ginger root goes perfectly with cherries and apricots. I was totally expecting to be let down by this sub-85 proof rye whiskey and feel like I have to apologize for being so wrong. Many of these threads weave their way through Michter’s press release for the release of their 10 year old rye whiskey, which begins: Nose: Orchard fruits, butterscotch candies, and vanilla cake greet you on the nose with a hint of wooden spice.
16. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
In general I don’t have anything against the practice, tons of brands I love do that. What makes me upset is when brands lie about it. Which MIchter’s did for a while, they’ve since come clear to say they source it, but there was a time where they were being super shady about the whole thing, but at least they came clean before they got sued over it. Michter’s Straight Rye Review: Details and Tasting Notes PALATE: An outstanding balance of spicy and sweet. Cinnamon and pepper followed by vanilla and sweet cherries. Bits of orange with dry oak and rye spices. Adding water brings more of the cherry notes forward. Creamy and smooth, and I had to pour another glass. This bottle will probably not see the end of winter. Whereas the bourbon was an overwhelming tour de force, I felt like I had to work very hard to get much out of this rye, and not in a good way. I appreciate a subtle whiskey, and this is definitely subtle. However, there are parts where it feels as though the rye wants for something to say for itself. There are no flaws, just lulls in the conversation. Andrea: On an annual basis, we have over 25 people trained to taste and smell whiskey and we go through an annual qualification process where each individual has to meet the requirements, because as an individual your body changes over time. You may have outside factors which can impact your ability to be on the tasting panel. So, it’s important to us to get a consistent repeatable outcome from the individuals who are on the tasting panel in terms of their ability to taste and smell whiskey.
Editor’s note: this bottle was provided to me free of charge by Michter’s. Per Malt’s editorial policy, we’re going to do our best to ensure that this gift does not influence our notes or scores] Andrea: The thing to say is that it’s not filtered the same as our standard rye. It has a custom profile that has been defined specifically for this release of Michter’s 10 Year Rye. So, just because we did a release of Michter’s 10 previously does not mean that the protocol stays the same year after year. We still have to examine the barrels that we selected for this release because they may change in age or they may have different attributes associated with them.
Its Louisville distillery took eight years and $8 million to build.
ModernThirst has compiled one of the most comprehensive compilations of bourbon and whiskey mash bill recipes on the net. Enjoy! ModernThirst Bourbon and Whiskey Mash Bills Table *= Estimated percentage I will be considering the concept of “entitlement” today, and particularly its relevance to whiskey culture. This meditation was prompted by a comment that caught my attention and got me thinking.
My friend David Jennings, aka Rare Bird 101, recently tweeted “Bourbon… the land of entitlement.” While this may seem cryptic to some, I immediately understood what he was getting at, or think I did, at least. Malt: What is the process like for selecting the liquid that ends up going into the Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Rye? We recognize the frustration of some of our supporters as they encounter challenges in finding certain Michter’s releases on the shelf. We want our loyal Michter’s drinkers to know we are trying to continue to invest in the growth of the brand while maintaining the exceptional level of our whiskeys,’ commented Andrea Wilson, Michter’s Master of Maturation.” It is this latter phenomenon that has drawn the charge of entitlement. I’m a whiskey consumer myself, so I understand the frustration felt when a previously ubiquitous bottle becomes unobtainable or (more likely) obtainable only through exorbitantly overpaying. I derive no comfort from (or even give any credence to) the idea that the marked-up prices on retail shelves and in Facebook groups represent the invisible hand of the efficient free market, as imagined by Adam Smith.Already we’re seeing younger releases coming to market, and that will continue, in addition to just seeing less rye whiskey altogether. We’re also going to see new and more experimental rye whiskies– which I think is only a good thing, in an industry built upon creativity and innovation. And another hopeful caveat to that – a decade or so down the line, we’re going to be seeing some really, really good aged ryes coming out. It has enough sweetness for my sweet palate without being overly sugary. John loved it too, which means the spicy notes worked for his more spicy preference. Just lovely. Finish: Lingering notes of chocolate, cinnamon and oak give a complex feel to the end of the sip. There are even remaining rye notes like mint, ground pepper and marjoram. The finish is also pleasantly sweet too with some honey and a slight maple flavor too.
Note: The recently released, brand new Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye (barrel proof!) would also likely be a great entry here, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. After changing hands many times during the subsequent years, it landed up in the hands of Louis Forman, who co-owned the distillery with Charles Everett Beam. Louis created the Michter’s brand name by combining his sons’ names, Michael and Peter. The bottle I’m reviewing today is about as new as they come. Its code is 23D1682 which means it was bottled in April 2023. The 23 indicates the year while the D indicates the month. 1682 is probably a internal reference to the barrel number.High West is a great example of distillery that built itself up via sourced whiskey, but always sought to make that whiskey their own by transforming it in some way before it was released to the public. The classic Double Rye! is just what it sounds like—two different rye whiskeys, blended together. On the older end, you have well-aged MGP 95/5 rye with a 7 year age statement, but then High West is also chipping in their own house-distilled young rye, which has the added unique factor of being made with 20% malted rye. By the time we get to a certain price point, the smaller distilleries are no longer able to compete with the big boys on the technical side of how we most often assess value, which is age statements and proof points. If they want to stay in the running, they have to do something more unique to transform that whiskey, and one of the options to do so is the newly popular process of secondary finishing in a freshly charred or toasted barrel. There are several whiskeys like this that have hit the market, but the “double oaked” quality plays particularly well in this upgraded version of Sagamore Spirit’s flagship rye, which is a blend of self-distilled Maryland spirit and MGP rye. However, the extra aging time in a second barrel really works some magic on this spirit, and what comes out is quite a bit different from what went in. It’s a reinvention of the MGP-type profile that you really have to taste for yourself, coming from a distillery that specializes in rye. As we wrote previously: This is a younger NAS rye, with a lower proof point, so one might initially wonder about its position on a list of “value” ryes, but we shouldn’t overlook that this is one of only a handful of regularly available single barrel ryes out there in the marketplace. For those who are interested in the delicate variations offered by single barrel selection, that makes Michter’s an interesting option—as does its easygoing but surprisingly complex flavor profile of earthy, fruity and spicy notes. You get some caramel candies, citrus and rye spice, but also a more savory tobacco and wood note that belies the spirit’s young age and relatively low proof point. At this proof point, it’s especially well suited to neat drinking, no ice required. You certainly have to respect what the company has achieved to date, being able now to stand up alongside some of the biggest names in the field. However, while many people tend to focus on their finished products or indeed their barrel strength offerings, I’ve always been one for their beguiling 10-year age stated expressions. Michter’s 10 Year bourbon in particular was always one I felt was misprized in the wider American whiskey landscape, and so I was among those saddened to hear that it wouldn’t be seeing a release in 2022. Fortunately for us whiskey enthusiasts we didn’t have to go without its rye-based brother this year, and so I’m happy to be reviewing the 2022 Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Rye today.
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