Meeting #19: Sept ‘25 - Michter’s Night

You can’t talk about great American whiskey without mentioning Michter’s. As a Pennsylvania-based club, it would also be a shame not to discuss Michter's legacy, which began right here in the keystone state! Michter’s (originally Shenk's) was founded by John Shenk in 1753 in Schaefferstown, PA, Lebanon County - just North of Lititz. He was a Swiss Mennonite farmer (which now I’m wondering…my wife’s family is from that area and has Swiss Mennonite heritage. Uncle Shenk!!?) After a couple name changes (Bomberger’s in the 1800s), the Michter’s label began in the 1950s. You can still find Michter’s Jugs if you go antiquing in Lancaster county.  Sadly, after 236 years of whiskey bliss, they went bankrupt in 1989 alongside many other distilleries. Thankfully, the brand was revived and their new Kentucky Distillery was built in 2012. 

Michter’s has consistently delivered quality whiskey. Of note, Michter’s 10-year bourbon might be my all-time favorite whiskey I’ve tried. I blindly chose it over a purple-top Willet and Pappy-12 (which were still a close 2nd and 3rd…)

For Michter’s night, we sampled their main lineup of 4 whiskeys. One of which was a Rye that no one knew about…. and it ended up with HIGHEST SCORE of the evening! I knew y’all would come to enjoy the rye side eventually - and this is a FANTASTIC rye (might be the Pennsylvania roots, which was the birthplace of rye whiskey!) 

Let’s see what Michter’s is up to, shall we?

#1) Kentucky Straight Bourbon  

91.4 proof / $52 / Undisclosed Mashbill

HF Avg: 2.97

NOSE: Sweet, “big league chew” bubble gum, fresh cinnamon buns

TASTE: traditional, sweet, cinnamon

FINISH: short mild finish, clean

Nothing complex here, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This is an easy drinking, traditional bourbon. The bubble gum sweetness comes out after letting the glass rest, and the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls really pops after comparing it with the others. I think our club scored this perfectly, right around 3.0. If you are having an evening where you just want to grab something smooth and classic to share with friends, you can’t go wrong here.

#2) Original Sour Mash

86 / $50 / Undisclosed Mashbill 

HF Avg: 2.67

NOSE: Minty sweet, double bubble gum, cinnamon, and oak

TASTE: Caramel candy, mint

FINISH: Oaky dry, medium finish, rye spice

The sour mash is interesting - it starts like a bourbon with cinnamon and caramel, but then finishes with some mint and spice reminiscent of a rye! I admit, I liked the traditional bourbon a little better, and there was a lot more variation amongst scores in the group. Overall, the average dropped. Still not bad by any means - but the bourbon has the edge. 

#3) Unblended American Whiskey

83.4 proof  / $50 / Undisclosed Mashbill 

HF Avg: 3.17

NOSE: Sweet, soft, and balanced

TASTE: Buttery Caramel, cinnamon

FINISH: Soft caramel sweetness, classic finish

Ok - so this whiskey is a crusher. Classic American whiskey flavors, soft, and just darn good. This bottle is definitely getting passed around the fire pit all night long! It’s not ground breaking, but there’s definitely an art to making something simple AND great. Definitely a crowd pleaser, with all scores 3 or above (except 1 party pooper).

#4) Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye

84.8  / $52 / Undisclosed Mashbill 

HF Avg: 3.39

NOSE: tea leaves, butterscotch, citrus

TASTE: southern sweet tea, oak

FINISH: Oak, baking spice, underlying sweetness

This is the perfect rye for the rye-shy, as it has plenty of sweetness to back the spice. Our members are still not rye-lovers, but overall the crowd really dug this one! We only saw one score under 3 (which a 2.7 isn’t horrendous), and it was top-dog of the evening! If you are shopping for a rye, 10/10 recommend this one.

Hope you all enjoyed tasting Michter’s, and learning a bit of the (local) history. See you all at the next one - Oct 9th!!