bourbon review

Michter’s 10-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon Review

Michters 10yr bourbon

Capping off a week of Michter’s whiskey reviews is a look at their 10-year-old single barrel bourbon.  It’s a limited release, alongside their 20-year-old single barrel bourbon.  According to a press release, Michter’s Master Distiller Willie Pratt held back the release of these whiskies.  Pratt says:

“These two bourbons were set for release at the beginning of this year, but I held them back for a bit more aging. I wanted them to be just right.”

I’ve heard nothing but great things about Michter’s 10-year over the last few years.  Seriously, I haven’t run across a scathingly bad review, even by folks who dislike Michter’s.  Now there’s hype, and with that comes expectations.

As this is a single barrel expression, there will be some degree of variation between barrels.  That’s part of what makes those types of releases fun, so long as the whiskey is aged in quality casks.  There’s a comfort in batch consistency, but there’s a certain je ne sais qui when it comes to single barrel whiskies.

My sample bottle is from barrel #15JB29.  Michter’s 10 year bourbon is bottled at 94.4 proof and is chill-filtered.  Because it’s a limited release, this bottle may not last long on store shelves.  Suggested retail price is $120.

Right off the bat, let me say I love nosing this bourbon.  Rich toffee leads, with spiced apple, vanilla cake and some oak rounding things off.  Gladly, the palate doesn’t disappoint.  There is an initial wave of hearty spices (cinnamon and clove) developing into an exquisite combination of creamy caramel, candy corn, vanilla bean and stewed fruit.  A small blast of old oak appears, but helps carry the other flavors along instead of competing with them.  The cinnamon note returns at the back of the palate, only to disappear into a long, slightly dry and minty finish.

The entirety of Michter’s standard line-up has been covered this week, including their Bourbon, Rye, American Whiskey and Sour Mash Whiskey.  My favorite of that bunch is their non-aged stated small batch bourbon.  That’s a solid whiskey, but it pales in comparison to their 10-year-old single barrel bourbon.  Simply put, Michter’s 10-year-old bourbon is one of the best releases of the year.  The level of finesse distillers Willie Pratt and Pam Heilmann have achieved in crafting this bourbon is to be applauded.  Nicely done, Michter’s.  Nicely done. Highly recommended.

9/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Michter’s.)

Michter’s US*1 Bourbon Whiskey Review

Michters Bourbon

Going into this review, I was under the impression that Michter’s simply sourced their whiskey.  For clarification, I reached out to Joe Magliocco, Michter’s president, earlier this week.  Here’s what he had to say about the subject:

“…you have been tasting our distillate. We have been producing our own whiskey (our mashbills, our yeast selection, our barreling strength, etc.) for over a decade at a Kentucky distillery that had excess capacity. Effectively we were a chef cooking in someone else’s restaurant kitchen before he could afford his own. Now that we have our own distillery in the Shively section of Louisville, we are continuing to use the same recipes to make the same distillate.”

Michter’s has recently filled their first barrel with distillate produced at their new distillery.  Theoretically, we shouldn’t see much, if any, change between what’s being bottled now and whiskey distilled at their distillery in Shively.

My sample bottle is from batch #15F545.  This expression is bottled at 91.4 proof, which is stronger than all the whiskies in their standard lineup.  There’s no age statement provided, so it’s at least four years old.  The label also states this whisky is a small batch.  That’s a term with no real definition.  However, according to their website, Michter’s states their batches of bourbon are comprised of no more than 24 barrels.  

An initial blast of burnt caramel starts things off here.  Beyond is a dab of rye spice and a very slight herbal note.  The entry is sweet, with creamy caramel and vanilla icing taking charge, while some rye and cinnamon play underneath.  The filtration Michter’s utilizes does keep this bourbon on the mellow side of things, all the while maintaining a medium body.  Slight barrel char and sweet grain finish things off, with a little spice on the finish.

All things considered, Michter’s bourbon is probably my favorite of their standard lineup.  This is a solid pour, especially at the $40 asking price.  It’s not overly sweet, not too spicy and, dare I say it, a pretty balanced whiskey.  A tip of the hat to Michter’s for this release.

8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Michter’s.)

Barrell Bourbon Batch 005 Review

barrell bourbon

Barrell Bourbon is the brainchild of Joe Beatrice.  Based out of Crestwood, KY, Beatrice seeks out barrels of whiskies he finds unique.  Though he openly sources his whiskey, Beatrice is not willing to stick to one specific mashbill or style of whiskey.  Some batches are from Kentucky, while others from Tennessee.  Each batch is bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered.  This retains the quality of the whiskies aging in the casks.

Barrell has released several batches of bourbon and whiskey.  Batch 005 is a Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey bottled at 124.7 proof.  Aged for slightly more than 8 years, it’s made up of 70% corn, 26% rye and 4% malted barley.

As expected with a barrel-proof whisky, the nose is big and robust.  Roasted sweet corn dominates this full-bodied bourbon.  Look for rye spice, cocoa and vanilla notes right underneath.  Taste-wise, I get some lovely sweet corn pudding, dark chocolate, sharp rye grain, and vanilla… all underneath a bed of cinnamon.  The high proof and high rye mash bill gives this bourbon a spicy kick.  The sweet corn note carries over onto the medium finish, developing into sweet cinnamon.  A surprisingly shorter finish than expected.

Barrell Bourbon batch 005 is unlike any other bourbon I’ve had the pleasure of tasting.  There’s something about the way the corn note plays with the spiciness I can’t find in another bourbon.  Think Booker’s minus the nutty note with the cinnamon note turned up a few notches.  Very nicely done.

8.5/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Barrell Bourbon.)