In September 2019, Michter’s Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, will release its US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey for sale to U.S. and export markets. While Michter’s has released US*1 Toasted Barrel Bourbon and US*1 Toasted Barrel Strength Rye in the past, this will mark the first ever release of Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey.
When Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash was selected by The Whisky Exchange as “Whisky of the Year” for 2019, it marked the first time that any whiskey from the United States had ever achieved this honor. This award winning whiskey is at the heart of Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey. To make this special Toasted release, Michter’s starts with fully matured barrels of its US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey and transfers the whiskey into specially toasted barrels for additional aging. “We’ve been very happy with how our Toasted Barrel Bourbon and Toasted Barrel Strength Rye releases have come out, and we discovered that our Sour Mash Whiskey is also wonderful for toasted barrel finishing,” commented Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco.
With Master Distiller Dan McKee and Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson leading the charge, Michter’s continues to conduct research into whiskey making. According to Wilson, significant consideration went into the type of toast that was best for finishing the US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey. “The toast profile used to finish our Toasted Barrel Sour Mash differs from both the toast profile used for our Toasted Bourbon and the toast profile used for our Toasted Barrel Strength Rye.” She added, “A milder toast was chosen to enhance the toffee character of the US*1 Sour Mash and provide a hint of campfire on the finish. After evaluating different degrees of toasting, we selected a level that would provide the toasty profile people enjoy while complementing the elegance of the sour mash whiskey.”
Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey is 86 proof and will sell in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $60 per 750ml bottle.
Beyond its main distillery in the Shively section of Louisville, Michter’s operations extend to two other sites in Kentucky. In Springfield, Michter’s is farming estate grown grain on its 145-acre property, while in downtown Louisville, Michter’s has its second distillery in the historic Fort Nelson building, which opened to the public in February of this year. Situated in a prime location on West Main Street opposite Louisville Slugger and on the same block as the Frazier Museum, Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery features the legendary pot still system from Michter’s Pennsylvania. It also has educational tours with whiskey tastings and The Bar at Fort Nelson, which features classic cocktails curated by spirits and cocktail historian David Wondrich.
Michter’s makes highly acclaimed, limited production whiskeys that are subject to allocation because demand has exceeded supply. Michter’s is renowned for its single barrel rye, small batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon, small batch American whiskey, and small batch sour mash whiskey. In January 2019, Michter’s was named the #1 Top Trending American Whiskey brand by Drinks International’s Annual Brands Report. For more information, please visit www.michters.com, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
