So a ranking of all the bottles of Michter’s whiskey is relevant to more than just the true aficionados. While no one flavor aspect of Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye will make it easy to pick out in a line up, it's the whiskey as a whole compared to other more aggressive ryes or other lifeless 80 proof ryes that will ultimately make it stand out (at least a little bit). In my experience, no sourced whiskey brand inspires this type of blind, foolhardy devotion quite like Michter’s.

Just like Michter’s US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey, it sports a delicate mouthfeel that benefits it greatly.

Palate: The palate has a lightly smoked cherry vibe next to clove and allspice with a sense of lush and creamy eggnog and vanilla-cherry tobacco stuffed in a slightly pitchy pine box.

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. We review the 2023 edition of Michter’s 10 Year Rye, aged a minimum of 10 years as a single barrel style release. Michter’s doesn’t make public its mash bill for US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, but as with any bourbon it contains at least 51% corn. Palate: The taste has a clear sense of dates, creamed vanilla honey, walnuts, wet brown sugar, and a touch of salted dark chocolate with a whisper of bitterness. Indeed, despite now having three folks who have held the title of Master Distiller, we’ve yet to taste any whiskey from Michter’s that is solely the output of their stills.Palate: Charred toastiness is evident from the first sip, with something underneath that reminds me of a chai latte.

The history of Michter’s dates to 1753, when brothers John and Michael Shenk opened the United States’s first distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania to profit off surplus crops like corn, rye, and barley. Editor's note 08/06/22: Our original posting mentioned master distiller Willie Pratt regulating barrel inventory in present tense. It means this is even odds for the money… and Michter’s charges a fair deal of money for this bottle, never mind the “secondary market. Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy. Usually, the whiskey is cut with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling but not in this case.It also meant a lot to see a woman in this top position, being a very young woman just getting into whiskey. The new owners moved operations to Kentucky, and started making whiskey in the style of Kentucky – bourbon.

Notably, Michter’s barrel entry proof of 103 is lower than that of most bourbons, which the distillery says is costly but intended to result in a smoother flavor and richer mouthfeel. With a noteworthy array of flavors, hitting a 90-100 proof range would have likely put them in an even better spotlight, elevating this rye to a higher level. It seems Willett’s own juice is a bit polarizing now that they are bottling their own distillate, but at least they are doing their thing and stating it on the bottle!Two experimental pot stills were augmented by the addition of a 46-foot column still and doubler setup in 2014. The Toasted Barrel Finish Rye is designed to showcase the beautiful extractives from a toasted only finish barrel that impart remarkable character and contribute to an exceptional experience. Sure, it’s sourced by MGP, but you can’t just go out elsewhere and get a high-malt mash bill under another MGP label or brand name (not that I’m aware of, anyway). Ultimately, this drying tannin isn’t something that poses a problem for this batch of Michter’s Toasted Barrel Rye, but at the same time I do think the wood profile overshadows the base spirit to a certain extent.