Just like Michter’s US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey, it sports a delicate mouthfeel that benefits it greatly. Some rye spice of black peppercorn blooms through the finish, with the lone off note being a woody aftertaste that comes across as slightly bitter. I now know that Four Roses is one of the big producers but James E Pepper (which I still really enjoy) might be sourced I guess?

Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye still features many traditional attributes that are associated with rye whiskeys, but Michter’s has seemingly done everything in their power to round out this rye’s edges. Michter’s has always gone for the most widespread appeal with their brands, so perhaps this shouldn’t be too surprising. The modern history of Michter’s began in the mid-1990s, when the owner of Chatham Imports, Joseph Magliocco, sought to add a rye whiskey to his portfolio.Years later, when they were put up for sale, Michter’s president Joseph Magliocco contacted Beam, but they had just been sold to an Ohio distiller, Tom Herbruck. Forman and his associates employed the original sour-mash recipe that the Shenks had perfected, and the distillery became famous for its rye whiskey and historic origins. 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). Nose: The nose draws you deep into the classic bourbon ecosystem of rich buttery toffees next to salted dark chocolate-covered cherries, a touch of smoked stone fruits, and a minor note of spicy tobacco leaf. And I haven’t “found” this same rye somewhere else for cheaper (but not for lack of trying, I give this a clear edge to Peerless, have not tried Wilderness however ).

Indeed, the release of that first Michter’s bottle may have even set into motion developments that have influenced the evolution of the modern American whiskey barrel itself.Finish: The mid-palate dries out towards that pitchy yet dry woodpile with an echo of dirt from the bottom of that woodpile on the finish. 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. One significant question I had about this particular rye before I opened the bottle was whether, at 92. My guess is that it will transform into a different drink with a whole new level of appreciable spices and other complex flavor. The whiskey on the sweetness of caramelized brown sugar in the middle of the mouth, though this has a pert stoniness as a counterweight.