Description
Michter’s Toasted Barrel Sour Mash starts with fully matured US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey from Kentucky. It’s a small-batch whiskey made the sour mash way. Some spent mash from one run starts the next fermentation, much like a sourdough starter. Corn and rye each stay under 51%, so it’s neither a bourbon nor a rye.
The whiskey then moves into a second custom barrel. That barrel’s wood is air-dried for 18 months, then toasted but not charred. Michter’s chose a milder toast to lift the toffee and add a hint of campfire. It’s bottled at 86 proof.
You’ll first notice smoked honey, vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, toffee and vanilla lead. Honey, milk chocolate and a little orange peel follow. Then toasty, campfire notes build and bring out cherry and spice. Michter’s says it starts like a bourbon and finishes like a rye.
Enjoy it neat, on the rocks, or in a rich Old Fashioned. Dark chocolate, smoked meats and roasted pecans all work well beside it.
This is a limited release that only appears every few years. It came out in 2019, again in 2022 and again in 2025. If you like sweet, toasty American whiskey with a spicy edge, grab one while you can.
