Michter's 10 years Bourbon

Michter's

Origin

USA

Type

Bourbon Whiskey

Barrel

New Oak

Age

10 years

Alcohol

47,2°

Value

200 points

About the product

Michter's 10yo bourbon is a real showpiece. Ten years is a lot for bourbon, as maturation takes place in places that are very hot and dry, so there is a lot of evaporation during maturation. Yet at Michter's, they are true to their own philosophy (cost be damned) and patiently wait until some of their casks reach this blessed age to bottle them. This 10yo bourbon has already been voted Best American Whiskey by leading Food & Wine Magazine.

The Michter's 10yo bourbon is always bottled as a single barrel and therefore only very limited quantities of it are available. The alcohol content is 47.2% and maturation was entirely in new casks of heavily charred American oak (Quercus Alba). It is a powerhouse in flavour, yet has a gingerbread heart and gently seduces you with its unique flavour profile.

The nose gives you balanced aromas of hot chocolate, aged brandy, vanilla ice cream and roasted oak. On the palate, you are surprised with black forest cake, cinnamon biscuits, orange oil and hints of buttered apple. The finish then goes in another direction with peanut crumbs, the warmth of a roasted barrel and peppercorns. a feast for your senses!

About the brand

Michter's is one of the pioneers when it comes to high-quality American whiskey. Their philosophy is not for nothing ‘cost be damned’, by which they mean that their first and only concern is the quality of their products rather than the cost involved in achieving that quality. Perhaps the most important example is that all their bottlings are done on the basis of small batches, or are even single barrels, which is obviously a lot more complex than mixing and bottling large quantities of casks at once.

The history of Michter's is at once long and short. The brand grew out of a distillery established as early as 1753 under the name Shenk's, founded by John Shenk, a farmer of Swiss origin in Shaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The name changed a few more times, including to Bomberger's. In those early years, they were best known for their rye whiskey, as rye was widely grown in that region. Legend has it that during the US Civil War, General George Washington was so convinced of the quality of their whiskey that he bought it for his men. Thus it was nicknamed ‘The Whiskey that warmed the American Revolution’.

Like so many distilleries, they closed their doors in 1919, due to the Prohibition. Afterwards, the distillery changed hands often, until in the 1950s it was owned by Lou Forman, who changed the name to Michter's, named after his two sons Michael and Peter. The distillery then did the books in 1989, but Michter's was given a second life: Joseph Magliocco and Dick Newman bought the rights to the brand and re-established it, but this time in the birthplace of bourbon: Kentucky. There they have been building this story for almost 30 years now, and with great success.