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Michter's 2022 US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey
In September 2022, Michter’s Distillery released its US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey for sale to U.S. and export markets. This whiskey was released once before in 2019.
“At Michter’s we’re proud of the great work done by our production team to create our Toasted program,” commented Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco. “We are always trying new things as we endeavor to make highest quality whiskeys, and with the 2014 release of our US*1 Toasted Barrel Bourbon we became the first company to offer a toasted barrel American whiskey. It’s great to see how this new category has taken off over the past 8 years.”
To make this special Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey release, Michter’s starts with fully matured barrels of its US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey. “The heart of this toasted product is a wonderful whiskey that begins on the palate like a sweet and delicious bourbon and then has a rye-like spice on the finish,” said Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee. Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash is then transferred into specially toasted barrels for additional aging. The precise toast profile of the second barrel is artfully selected by Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson.
About her toast selection, Wilson observed, “The 2022 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey release takes the Sour Mash expression and enhances it by adding notes of smoked honey and gingersnap cookies accentuated by toasted oak, all while honoring the sweet and spicy balance of our US*1 Sour Mash. Working on the Toasted series really brings forward the influence of the barrel and represents the dedication of the Michter’s team to continuously provide exceptional whiskey.”
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 205-acre property, while in downtown Louisville, Michter’s has its second distillery in the historic Fort Nelson Building.
When Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash, the base of this Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey release, 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. 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 $100 per 750ml bottle.
Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey Details
- Production: Small batch, limited release
- State of Distillation: Kentucky
- Bottling Strength: 86 proof (43% Alcohol by volume)
- Cooperage:
- First Barrel: Fire-charred, new American white oak barrels
- Second Barrel: Toasted barrel made from 18-month air-dried wood
Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey Tasting Notes
Toffee and buttery vanilla notes up front with fragrant honey, milk chocolate, and a hint of orange peel. Mid-palate the toasty campfire notes appear and intensify the cherry and spice notes in this elegant whiskey.
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
Source: Michter’s Distillery
Photo Credits: Michter’s Distillery
We hope to have a review very soon on the highly acclaimed Michter’s 2022 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey. Please check back soon.
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