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Michter's US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey

spicy malty
3.2
(2)€54United States, Kentucky, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Sour mash is a method, not a grain. You make new mash using a bit of the last batch, much like a sourdough starter. The result here refuses to pick a side. It starts out like a bourbon and finishes like a rye, sitting somewhere in between. That hybrid character is the whole point. Expect warm brown sugar and vanilla, then a turn toward dry spice and pepper. There is cinnamon, a little cola sweetness, and oak that keeps things grounded. Pour it neat and let the two halves of its personality take turns. It is a quietly clever pour.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Michter's

Michter's traces its roots to 1753, when a Swiss Mennonite farmer began distilling rye in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The brand we know today is now based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. The unusual name came along in the 1950s, coined by then-owner Lou Forman from the names of his sons, Michael and Peter. The original Pennsylvania operation closed and fell into ruin by 1989. In the 1990s Joseph Magliocco and Richard Newman revived the name and shifted production to Kentucky. Today Michter's makes bourbon and rye across three Louisville sites, including the historic Fort Nelson Building. The house focus is small-batch and single-barrel whisky, with careful barrel selection rather than volume. That patient approach has helped rebuild one of American whisky's oldest names.

3.9Average rating

16Whiskies on Distilld

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Most popular whiskies from Michter's

About the Michter's US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey

Michter's US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey is an American whisky made by Michter's in Kentucky, United States. It is one of the more unusual bottles to come out of the country. It cannot be filed neatly under bourbon or rye. The name points to the method. Sour mash means each new fermentation is kick-started with some of the previous batch. The trick works a little like baking with a sourdough culture. The grain recipe sits between two worlds. This whisky starts out tasting like a bourbon and finishes more like a rye. That split personality is exactly why people seek it out. Michter's brings a careful approach to maturation. The spirit goes into barrels at a low entry proof, so less water is added at bottling. That choice gives a richer texture and more concentrated flavour. The oak is air-dried for months, then toasted before charring. These small steps add up in the glass. In the glass you get brown sugar and vanilla up front, sweet and rounded. Then comes a wave of cinnamon, pepper and dry spice, with a faint cola note underneath. Charred oak and a touch of rye give the finish backbone and length. At 43% ABV it stays easy to drink while keeping plenty of character. This bottling carries real history too. It vanished in 1989 before the brand was revived in 2012 to a warm welcome. Pour Michter's US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey neat. Let its two contrasting sides unfold slowly in the glass.