Michter’s is still riding high after being named “Most Admired Whiskey” two years in a row by U.K. publication Drinks International, an honor that is based on a survey of “global whisky experts, journalists, bartenders, and drinks buyers from more than 20 countries.” But the proof is really in the whiskey-flavored pudding, and the distillery has indeed been on a roll with a slew of high-quality releases, the latest of which is the new edition of the annual 10-year-old single barrel bourbon.
This annual release actually skipped a year in 2022 when the Michter’s team only released the 10-year-old rye, saying that the demand for the bourbon had outpaced supply. It’s also not just about the numbers, according to Michter’s president Joseph J. Magliocco. “Rather than on a strict age schedule, at Michter’s we bottle whiskey when our production team deems it fully matured,” he said in a statement.
Master distiller Dan McKee and master of maturation Andrea Wilson are tasked with selecting the barrels that go into the 10 Year releases, and according to Wilson there is some older whiskey in the blend, as is often the case. “It is such an exciting time when we are reviewing barrels for consideration for this release,” she said. “This year’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon is again overaged beyond 10 years. It opens with a very inviting nose and draws you in like a good movie with its character development and complexity with the joy of a great story it has to share and leaving you satisfied through to the finish.”
We have not had a chance to sample this whiskey yet, so we will have to take her word for it, but past releases are usually very good (even as a single-barrel release, which by definition will vary a bit in flavor depending on which barrel each bottle comes from). This year’s expression was bottled at 94.4 proof, the same as past releases, and will be available next month with an SRP of $195—although be prepared to pay much more than that at many secondary retailer websites. And if you can’t find a bottle of the 10 Year, there are plenty of other Michter’s releases to try, including the excellent new Bomberger’s PFG, US*1 Barrel Strength Rye, and the absolutely fantastic (and very expensive) 20 Year Bourbon. And you can’t go wrong with the core bourbon, rye, sour mash, and American whiskey that will find readily available at websites like ReserveBar.
