This Michter’s whiskey is relatively unique amongst the wide range of American whiskies available. As an American whiskey it been matured in American white oak barrels, but these have previously held another whiskey rather than being brand new. This makes it distinctly different from Bourbon or Rye, which, by definition and law, must be aged in new oak barrels. The whiskey also never contains grain neutral spirits hence its “unblended” description.
Originally known as Shenk’s, and later as Bomberger’s, the whiskey company which ultimately became known as Michter’s was founded by John Shenk. This was in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753, some 23 years before the Declaration of Independence. Like many American distilleries, the distillery closed during the Prohibition era, which lasted from January 1920 until December 1933. It was lucky to reopen after the repeal of prohibition but it changed ownership many times over the following decades.
During the 1950s, Lou Forman, one of the distillery’s then-owners, created the modern Michter’s brand name. He combined portions of his sons’ names – Michael and Peter. Unfortunately the distillery then declared bankrupt in 1989. Hiwever, it was to be resurrected once again in the 1990s by Joseph J. Magliocco and Richard “Dick” Newman. They filed for the abandoned trademark and brand name. They also drew up plans to rebuild Michter’s reputation and relocate to the state of Kentucky, rather than Pennsylvannia.
Michter’s now has two distilleries in the city of Louisville – the Fort Nelson distillery on the famous Whiskey Row and the Shiveley distillery. They also own a 145-acre farm in Springfield, Kentucky and this grows many of the cereals used to make their whiskeys. The US★1 expressions, of which this whiskey is a part, was named to honour of the original founding date 1753. This would make the brand one of America’s first whiskey companies.
Michter’s US★1 Unblended American Whiskey is bottled at 41.7% ABV (83.4 proof). It is readily available across America and also through whisky specialists stores (and Amazon) in many countries globally. A bottle will cost £60-65 / $40-45.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is coppery gold and on the nose this whiskey is full of character. There is a distinct boldness with dark chocolate, bitter orange zest, fudgy caramel, vanilla, clove, and nutmeg, plus plenty of cherry. The combination reminded us of cherry Bakewell tart (lots of cherries, almond and baking dough) and chocolate dipped cherries (especially maraschinos).
On the palate this whiskey is rich and creamy with a sweet and buttery character. Delicious woody and oaky flavours sit alongside sweet vanilla, cola, and that overload of cherry mentioned on the nose. These notes hit the tongue up front. In the mouth the woody notes develop further into a more spicy, drying and peppery character. This gives a delicate warmth and sits comfortably alongside further notes of toasted coconut, milk chocolate and caramel. There is plenty of fragrant bitter orange oil towards the end also.
The finish continues with the distinct woodiness and adds a drying element alongside remnants of the cherry and bitter orange. A gentle hint of menthol and clove are also added to give added depth, complexity and length to the finish.
What’s The Verdict?
The Michter’s US★1 Unblended American Whiskey is a well defined and bold whiskey. It is packed full of flavour and offers a great glimpse as to what American whiskey can be outside of the traditional Bourbon and Rye categories. Michter’s is a brand that we have enjoyed and some of their other expressions are excellent. We had not sampled this one, and enjoyed it very much. Definitely worth a try if you see it out in the wild.
