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Michters American Whiskeys
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 3, 2022 – Michter’s has been named the World’s Most Admired American Whiskey and the #2 Most Admired Whisky overall in the second edition of The World’s Most Admired Whiskies, an annual top 50 list released by Drinks International.
“We are awestruck by this recognition and grateful to everyone who enjoys our whiskeys,” commented Michter’s Executive Vice President Matt Magliocco. “It is a wonderful honor to be evaluated so highly by Drinks International’s academy of experts.”
Having initially launched in 2021, The World’s Most Admired Whiskies was established to determine the trade’s 50 most revered brands from across the planet. To create the list, Drinks International formed a voting Academy of independent whisky experts from across the world to give their 10 most admired brands based on quality and consistency, price-to-quality ratio and the strength of branding and marketing.
“Launching this project has been a great way to see which brands around the world are best regarded by our trade,” said editor and founder Shay Waterworth. “The Drinks International Most Admired series is becoming one of the most influential within the industry. To even feature in the list is a great achievement.”
“As a small, independent company, our focus has always been on producing the highest quality American whiskey regardless of cost. To see that dedication to quality being appreciated by an expert panel and such an esteemed publication means so much to our entire team,” said Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee. “Of course, it also inspires us to keep improving and raising the bar moving forward.”
Michter’s has a rich and long legacy of offering traditional American whiskeys of uncompromising quality. With each of its limited production offerings aged to its peak maturity, Michter’s highly acclaimed portfolio includes bourbon, rye, sour mash whiskey, and American whiskey. Currently all types of Michter’s are being allocated as demand exceeds supply. In a March 2022 Sotheby’s auction, three separate Michter’s bottlings each fetched US$25,000 or more. In September 2022, Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in recognition of her lifetime of achievements in the industry.
About Michter's Distillery
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 small batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon, single barrel rye, small batch American whiskey, and small batch sour mash whiskey.
In October 2021, Michter’s was named the Most Admired American Whiskey in a survey conducted in 25 countries. In January 2022, Michter’s was named the #1 Top Trending American Whiskey brand by Drinks International in their Annual Brands Report.
The Michter's Legacy
Michter’s is proud to honor a historical legacy tracing back to the founding of America’s first whiskey company in 1753.
The Early Years: Revolutionary Rye in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania
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, a Swiss Mennonite farmer, in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753. In its earliest days, Shenk’s produced whiskey from rye grain, a favorite local crop in the Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Valley where the distillery was located.
According to Pennsylvania historical lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, this particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington visited the distillery and purchased whiskey to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Over 200 years later the Michter’s Pennsylvania management would say Michter’s was “the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution.”
In the mid-1800s, Pennsylvania Dutchman Abraham Bomberger purchased the distillery and it became known for many decades as Bomberger’s.
Midlife Crises of the Twentieth Century: From Prohibition to Bankruptcy
The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced the distillery, along with other American spirits producers, to shut its doors to the public. Although the distillery did reopen after the repeal of Prohibition, it changed hands many times over the next few decades and frequently occupied a precarious financial position. During the 1950s, Lou Forman, one of the distillery’s then-owners, created the modern Michter’s brand name by combining portions of his sons’ names – Michael and Peter.
In 1989, with the entire American whiskey industry suffering a prolonged downturn, Michter’s then-owners declared bankruptcy and abandoned the premises, leaving its Pennsylvania operations in disrepair and the Michter’s name – seemingly – lost to history… were it not for a fortuitous connection to two whiskey lovers with an abiding admiration for the old Michter’s legacy and quality.
Restoring a Legend: Honoring Michter's Legacy with a Resurgence in Kentucy
In the 1990s, Joseph J. Magliocco and his consultant and mentor Richard “Dick” Newman teamed up to resurrect Michter’s. Magliocco, who entered the wine and spirits industry after attending Yale College and graduating from Harvard Law School, was intimately familiar with Michter’s through his college days of imbibing, bartending, and selling Michter’s.
Newman meanwhile, had followed up his service in the US Marine Corps (for which he earned a Purple Heart) with an illustrious career in the whiskey business, eventually running Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow, and Old Taylor for National Distillers before becoming President and CEO of Austin Nichols, the distiller of Wild Turkey.
Magliocco and Newman began with a simple strategy – to honor the Michter’s legacy by producing the best whiskey possible, cost be damned! After filing for the unused and abandoned Michter’s trademark, they made their first major strategic decision: to resurrect Michter’s in Kentucky, in the heart of the modern American whiskey industry, to ensure access to the best whiskey talent and resources available.
Modern-day Michter's: Offering the Greatest American Whiskey
Today, Michter’s has three locations in Kentucky – a 78,000 square foot distillery in the Shively section of Louisville, the architecturally significant Fort Nelson Building on Louisville’s Museum Row and 205 acres of farm land in Springfield.
For more information on Michter’s American Whiskey, please visit their website at www.michters.com or on their social media sites at
Contact:
Matt Magliocco
502-774-2300 x470
mmagliocco@michters.com
Source: Michter’s Distillery
Michter’s Logo and US-1 Whiskeys Photo credit: Michter’s
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