In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. Within a few years, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell, and so he began distilling the excess grains into whiskey. Shenk's distillery, which was eventually named Michter's Distillery, became the United States' first distilling company. Just two decades after Shenk opened the doors to his distillery, General George Washington began purchasing Michter's Distillery Whiskey in order to fortify his men as they camped through a long and brutal winter at Valley Forge. Michter's Distillery, as the saying goes, was the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's Distillery, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990's however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's Distillery," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned' roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world." Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Bourbon is the brainchild of master distiller Willie Pratt. Pratt, a maturation perfectionist with over forty years of distilling experience, is known as "Dr. No" since he often refuses to bottle aging barrels of whiskey. According to Pratt, whiskey that is aged for over a decade hits a "fork in the road," and can either become incredible or unpalatable. "One of the barrels we sampled was unbelievably woody," Magliocco says. "And we reject that, we literally sewer it. Willie had another barrel that tasted delicious, but the consistency was like molasses, and we obviously couldn't sell that." Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is a sourced bourbon that Pratt realized had hit its peak. The single barrel bourbon has a dark caramel color, along with an aroma of espresso, toffee and whipped cream. Notes of spices predominate on the palate, and are complemented by touches of lemon, grapefruit, molasses and vanilla. The finish is medium-long, with touches of tobacco, old leather and figs. Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon was named the "Best American Whiskey" by Food & Wine Magazine.

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. Within a few years, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell, and so he began distilling the excess grains into whiskey. Shenk's distillery, which was eventually named Michter's Distillery, became the United States' first distilling company. Just two decades after Shenk opened the doors to his distillery, General George Washington began purchasing Michter's Distillery Whiskey in order to fortify his men as they camped through a long and brutal winter at Valley Forge. Michter's Distillery, as the saying goes, was the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's Distillery, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990's however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's Distillery," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned' roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world." Michter's Distillery 20 Year Old Bourbon is the brainchild of master distiller Willie Pratt. Pratt, a maturation perfectionist with over forty years of distilling experience, is known as "Dr. No"since he often refuses to bottle aging barrels of whiskey. According to Pratt, whiskey that is aged for over a decade hits a "fork in the road,"and can either become incredible or unpalatable. "One of the barrels we sampled was unbelievably woody," Magliocco says. "And we reject that, we literally sewer it. Willie had another barrel that tasted delicious, but the consistency was like molasses, and we obviously couldn't sell that." Michter's Distillery 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is a sourced bourbon that Pratt realized had hit its peak. The single barrel bourbon has a dark amber color, along with an aroma of coffee, vanilla beans and smoked chips. Notes of spices dominate the palate, and are complemented by touches of milk chocolate, citrus, molasses and caramel. The finish is medium-long, with touches of chewy leather, smoked dates and oak.

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. After a few years of hard work and long hours, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell at the local market. As a result, Shenk purchased a still and began distilling the excess grains he harvested into whiskey. His distillery, which was eventually named Michter's, became the United States' first distilling company. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990s, however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned' roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world." Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey is made from a mash comprised primarily of fresh, plump rye grains. Once the grains are harvested, they are sheared so that during fermentation, the grains are saturated with more flavor. After the grains have been fermented, they are distilled through a copper-pot still before being matured in charred, American oak barrels. The barrels are allowed to rest in a heat-cycled warehouse, which forces the wood to expand and contract as the temperature rises and falls. This heat cycling causes the whiskey and wood to mingle with each other, and contributes notes of marmalade and light caramel to the rye. Whenever we would sample right out of the US*1 Rye barrels, we loved the whiskey. We thought that our loyal US*1 Single Barrel Rye customers would enjoy tasting some at barrel strength, said Michter's President Joseph J. Magliocco. Michter's Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is the new and limited, overproof, straight-from-the-barrel version of Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey. Although proof varies slightly by barrel, most bottles of Michter's Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey are somewhere between 108 and 110.8 proof. As a result, the whiskey a bold aroma of butterscotch, golden raisins and vanilla, which leads to a palate bursting with morning toast, maple syrup and fresh fruit. The finish is spicy, with noticeable touches of mint, cinnamon and honey which linger on the tongue.

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. After a few years of hard work and long hours, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell at the local market. As a result, Shenk purchased a still and began distilling the excess grains he harvested into whiskey. His distillery, which was eventually named Michter's, became the United States first distilling company. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990s, however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's, says Magliocco, Dick and I wanted to get back to the cost be damned roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world. Michter's award-winning US1 Sour Mash Whiskey is the cornerstone of this Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey, made by taking Michter's US1 Sour Mash Whiskey and aging it for an additional period of time in a secondary bespoke barrel. This custom made barrel is assembled from 18-month air-dried wood before being toasted (not charred). Several different levels of toast were carefully evaluated for the second barrel before the Michter's production team led by Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson decided on the final bespoke cask that would best display the elegant nuances of this special whiskey. Pick up your bottle today!

One of our most limited production items, Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye continues the legacy of America’s first whiskey variety (rye) from America’s first whiskey company (Michter’s, originally known as Shenk’s). After a nearly three year absence from the market, Michter’s then Master Distiller Willie Pratt finally gave the green light for the re-release of Michter’s 10 Year Straight Rye in April 2014.

TASTING NOTES

Deep notes of vanilla and toffee, toasted almonds and cinnamon with an ample dose of crushed pepper and a hint of orange citrus

During the 1970s and 1980s, Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey was the distillery's single most popular product. While the Sour Mash moniker originated from the whiskey production process of the same name whereby some previously fermented mash is used as the starter for the new mash to be fermented, much like making sourdough bread Michter's Original Sour Mash earned distinction for its unique taste. With its unique grain selection, it cannot be categorized as a rye or a bourbon.

After disappearing from the market in 1989, Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey made a triumphant return in 2012 with its introduction into the US*1 line. Staying true to the profile and palate of its predecessor, Michter's US*1 Sour Mash has quickly become a favorite of whiskey enthusiasts.

Bottle Size: 750ml

Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is made from a carefully selected mashbill that features the highest quality American corn. It is then matured to the peak of perfection. Truly “small batch” each batch of our US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels, leaving no margin for “blending out” imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is nuanced, mellow and earthy. Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is also available with personalized Fort Nelson Select labeling at Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery.

TASTING NOTES

Rich caramel with balanced vanilla, stone fruit notes, smoky depth, with an oak finish

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. After a few years of hard work and long hours, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell at the local market. As a result, Shenk purchased a still and began distilling the excess grains he harvested into whiskey. His distillery, which was eventually named Michter's, became the United States' first distilling company. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990s, however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned' roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world." Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey is made from a mash comprised primarily of fresh, plump rye grains. Once the grains are harvested, they are sheared so that during fermentation, the grains are saturated with more flavor. After the grains have been fermented, they are distilled through a copper-pot still before being matured in charred, American oak barrels. The barrels are allowed to rest in a heat-cycled warehouse, which forces the wood to expand and contract as the temperature rises and falls. This heat cycling causes the whiskey and wood to mingle with each other, and contributes notes of marmalade and light caramel to the rye. Once Willie Pratt Michter's Master Distiller determines that the rye has reached its peak flavor, each bottle is filled and sealed by hand. Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey has an aroma of spices, dark fruits, rye bread and vanilla. The aroma gives way to notes of citrus, baked goods, cinnamon and caramel on the palate, which complement touches of herbs and toast. The finish, which is both sweet and warming, ends with a touch of caramel. Michter's Barrel Rye represents unique, limited edition expressions of whiskey from one of the oldest brands in the United States.

What separates bourbon from regular American whiskey It's cooperage. Bourbon must be aged in new charred white American oak barrels, in order to claim the title Bourbon. It is not only this distinction that makes Michter's Whiskey Unblended Small Batch American US*1, quite unique. It also falls outside of the jurisdiction of American whiskey, which requires all spirit in its category to abide by a firm 80% ABV. Michter's is one of the oldest distilleries in the US, located in Louisville, Kentucky, and their small batch spirit is uninhibited. Aged in bourbon-soaked barrels, and bottled at a very exact 83.4 proof, the word "unblended" also implies that this whiskey does not contain neutral grain spirit. Michter's has a new Master Distiller Pamela Heilmann, and no US*1 whiskey is ever released "until Willie and the Michter's tasting panel deems it ready." The barrels are custom made. We are specifying wood that has been thoroughly and properly dried, sometimes for as long as 18-36 months, in order to enhance the natural properties of the wood which allow for better flavor and to reduce the levels of tannin imparted to the whiskey. These bespoke barrels are then toasted before charring, which helps make the wood's sugars more accessible. These sugars caramelize and concentrate to form the "red line" in the barrel stave cross-sections due to the heat, ultimately adding more flavor and color to the whiskey as it seeps through the char to the caramel red line. Their Rye's and Bourbons are then entered into their prospective barrels at 103 Proof as opposed to the industry norm of 125. At Michter's they believe that the lower 103 proof level allows for the concentrated sugars to dissolve more readily into the distillate. This process yields fewer bottles per barrel, but offers greater access to the flavors of the sugars. At Michter's they also uses a customized chill filtration technique with all of their whiskeys, as they believe carbon filtration strips flavor and aroma from the spirit. we use the different filtration mediums and techniques best suited to each of our individual whiskey offerings despite it being time consuming and costly to highlight each expression's best qualities. This whiskey is in many ways, by definition, unlike any bourbon or rye, which abides by several standards. US*1 Unblended American Whiskey is aged in such a way that imparts tremendously unique flavors onto its spirit. After being re-released in 2013, this whiskey has retained all of its distinctions, including its unblended character. Bottled at 41.7% ABV this whiskey has deep butterscotch and vanilla notes.