I'm still mostly stuck on American whiskies at the moment and it makes sense to stay there with the next review. Since I've only done one Rye whiskey thus far (Catoctin Creek Roundstone), and they're growing on me more and more, it's time for another.
This bottle, one I received in a trade actually, is a Michter's US*1 Single Barrel ('SiB') Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. Sometimes it's funny to look at the length of these names, though almost everything in them provides some information. These terms have been discussed before so I'll just do a quick review. 'Single Barrel' means everything in the bottle came from a single barrel or cask (in this case No. 20B218 - with 20 likely the year sealed), which innately means some minor batch variation. Single barrels are also generally synonymous with better than baseline expressions, meaning the whiskey producers (hopefully) use barrels that meet a high standard for quality and taste. Mentioning Kentucky means it was made there. 'Straight Rye' means it comes from a mash of at least 51% rye grain and meets other guidelines such as a minimum of two years aging in wood barrels.
Michter's has history longer than any other American whiskey. The original distillery in Pennsylvania, known as Bomberger's, began operations in 1753 with a pair of Mennonite farmers who made Rye. This date is prominently displayed on every bottle of Michter's. Supposedly George Washington himself purchased some of this whiskey for the Continental Army. That it's believed to be the first American commercial distillery also explains the US*1 used in naming their expressions. The brand with its current name came into existence shortly after WWII, when the then owner combined the names of his two sons Michael and Peter. Soon after the distillery was sold and used for other purposes from 1951 to 1978. The creator of Michter's then reacquired the distillery, which would later close for good in 1989. The site has buildings that go as far back as 1840 and is designated a National Historic Landmark, but doesn't appear to be a place you can tour and is in considerable disrepair.
Since its revival in the 90s, and for now at least, Michter's is a brand that wholly uses sourced whiskey (a concept discussed when reviewing Noah's Mill, even if it's no longer sourced itself). In short the company that owns the brand doesn't distill its own spirit, instead acquiring it elsewhere before aging and bottling it. This company, called Chatham Imports, built a new 'Michter's distillery' in Louisville, Kentucky that only opened in 2019. It'll be a while before the spirit made there starts going into Michter's bottles.
Besides this expression, the US*1 SiB Straight Rye, Michter's produces three other regular bottlings, all small batch: the US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, the US*1 American Whiskey and the US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey. The highest proof is the Bourbon at 91.4, so all are relatively low. The 'American Whiskey' does some unusual barrel aging and can't be labeled as a Bourbon or Rye. The 'Sour Mash' is a call back to the original Michter's product of decades ago and also can't use customary Bourbon or Rye labeling due to different grains in the mash. Looking at their process it's interesting Michter's not only proudly chill filters, something spurned by a number of Scotch distillers, but uniquely changes filtering method for each whiskey.
There are a few limited releases as well. Some feature an age-statement, others are barrel strength and there's a number of 'toasted barrel' expressions as well. All are unsurprisingly hard to find. I'd love to try the 10 year Rye (or Bourbon) but it may not happen.
I can however taste the Rye I have, one that seems pretty available.
ABV - 42.4% (84.8 proof)
Mash - Undisclosed, but 51+% rye plus some corn/malted barley
Maturation - New charred American oak
Age - No age statement, so at least 2 years as a 'Straight Rye'
Location - Aged/bottled in Louisville, KY
Price - ~$45
Tasting Notes:
Nose - Wood, rye hints, butterscotch and fruit
Color - Medium amber/caramel
Taste - Not overpowering rye spiciness, wood and vanilla, some complex sweetness
Finish - Warming but gentle and smooth, nice length
Final Thoughts:
That's really a pleasant whiskey. Overall it's very balanced with clear but not overly strong rye influence. This leads me to think it's a barely there (~51%) Rye, not that there's anything wrong with that. There haven't been a ton of American whiskies I've loved at a lower (say <90) proof but this is definitely a winner, featuring full flavor and a remarkably smooth and enjoyable finish. If you're willing to pay up a bit from the quality entry level Bourbons, I'd definitely recommend this to someone looking for an easy sipper. Don't be scared of Rye.
When looking at everything Michter's has to offer, I'm happy to have tried the Rye first. While the other standard expressions look somewhat interesting, I'll likely appreciate this one most. I also want to mention that this is an example of a wonderful sourced whiskey. It can be done! Hopefully whenever Michter's begins using their own distillate the quality remains.
Cheers! (And thanks for this one Jake.)
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