Michter's US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye

Michter's US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye, NAS, 42,4 %

Michter's US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye

OK, I can feel a mild headache coming on, having tried to read up on the history of this American whiskey brand. Nothing seems to ever be straight forward with these brands. The same goes for Michter's. Sure, if you look at their website you will see they allude to having been in business since 1753. This is not quite the case. Michter's as a brand was apparently first 'born' in the early 1950s (source). The distillery that created the brand could indeed trace its history back to 1753, and was most likely the oldest existing distillery in the USA at that time. This distillery (mainly known as Bomberger's) was finally closed down in 1989. In the 1990s another company bought the rights to the brand, and eventually started a new distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Since 2000 they have sold whisky under the brand Michter's. [Update: I originally wrote that they started selling under the brand Michter's in 2004. A representative from Michter's contacted me and kindly asked me to correct this.]

Anyways, the Michter's US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye is one of their entry level whiskeys. It has no age statement. Interestingly it is always bottled from single barrels, so each bottle contains whiskey from one barrel only. No vatting before bottling.

You can buy in Norway at NOK 747 (3958401), in Sweden at SEK 979 (8740801), and in the UK at around GBP 50. Again I have to wonder at the surprisingly high price in Sweden, or perhaps the surprisingly low price in Norway.

Nose: Sweet and fruity, with a nice little spiciness. Very approachable, I would say. Vanilla, marshmallows, pepper and light caramel.

Taste: Soft and smooth. Lots of white pepper and ginger. I also pick up on toffee, butterscotch, and coconut juice.

Finish: Medium long finish. Soft and mild spices, mellow sweetness. Ripe banana.

Comments: Enjoyable.

Score (85/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas