Michter's US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash Whiskey (2019 Release)

Not enough corn to be a bourbon, not enough rye to qualify for that category. I've never had the standard Michter's Sour Mash, so in the absence of a basis for comparison, I'll try to evaluate this limited release on its own merits. Batch No. 19H1247 Nose: Gala apple, brown sugar, chewy caramel, and a heavy hit of caramel. Some leather and toffee. Apple cider and caramelized apple. Vanilla and banana. Orange peel. Walnut and almond. The aromas are mostly sweet ones, though there is a touch of spice in you search for it. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice. It's subtle, but it's there. A nice hit of oak. Surprisingly strong nose for a 43% ABV whiskey. Palate: Leather and black pepper hit first. Then it's more Gala apple. Caramel, vanilla, and plenty of orange/orange peel notes. Honey, toffee, apricot, and peach. Hefty oak note and bit of baking spice. Mostly allspice, with a bit of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove from the nose. Black pepper throughout. Finish: Apple cider, and a bit of black pepper. Chewy caramel and orange peel. Vanilla. Plenty of baking spice. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice are out in full force. Big oak. Moderate-long length, which is a pleasant surprise at 43% ABV. It's a good whiskey. I found it closely resembles a bourbon on the nose. Meanwhile the palate starts as a rye and transitions into a a hybrid of a standard bourbon and something I can't quite classify by mid-palate. The finish is a hybrid of both a bourbon and a rye. I find this intriguing. Prior to this review, I pitted this against Elmer T. Lee, another Sour Mash whiskey. I preferred ETL. But that's one of my favorites, so it's no slight to this one. On it's own merits, it's a very good whiskey. Is it worth the $90 I paid? I'd say so, on the grounds of uniqueness. Michter's defied traditional mash bill standards in the US, and came away with a quality product. I'm not sure what the Toasted Barrel added to this. From my understanding, the mash bill more had greater influence on the tasting notes than whatever the toasted barrel added. Still, I'm now very intrigued by the standard Michter's Sour Mash. I'll have to give it a buy. But if you can find this south of a C-note, I'd give this a buy. It's a very interesting whiskey and I'm glad I grabbed it.

Taste: Neat 1.5 oz in glen cairn Nose (3.25): Sweet corn and bbq sauce dominate. It is a pleasing nose but the sweet corn aroma suggests this to be young. Makes me skeptical that this might be one that wash rushed to market and needs more barrel time. I hoped that it would not further fall apart. Palate (4.25) Where I felt the nose was young, I felt the palate the tale of two cities! Super interesting. It is the best of sourmash (sweet yellow butterscotchy candies from grandma's candy bowl) and toasted finishing (campfire marshmallows, smokey embers). Where I wasn't bowled over by the nose, the palate made me want it more. Finish (3.75) I get a pleasant bbq sauce and s'mores sans chocolate. Wish it were longer but this was really good while it lasted. Overall: Showcased the best of both worlds- sweet, corny, butterscotchy sourmash and that campfire toastiness with a woody smokehouse flavor on the back end. This is one I would absolutely LOVE to taste at a barrel proof. It is intriguing but is not the best balance. I like it better than toasted bourbon, but not as sophisticated as toasted rye in 2017

Interesting juice. Definitely heavy nutty flavor on finish. I was able to try this during a very long night of whiskey tasting, but I was unfortunately unable to take good notes. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

The color is a rich brownish amber with any movement leaving heavy legs sticking to the sides of the glass. The nose is very gentle but full of oak, cooked caramel, vanilla, molasses and just a hint of floral rye notes. The oak carries over strongly to the palate with molasses balancing it out, as cooked caramel and vanilla play backup. The finish is medium and very oaky where you can really taste the toast as the rest of the palate fades, albeit a bit too quick. Simple but flavorful, if the finish somewhat let’s down the experience.

I like this quite a bit. It has more spice and layers than the 2018 Toasted Barrel Bourbon (Which I quite liked) and is about on par with the Barrel Strength Rye. All in all, a very good offering. I got this for $68 and it’s definitely worth it at that price. I probably wouldn’t buy it at the $100+ price that many retailers are asking for it (and I’m sure the secondary market will be ridiculous!). So if you are a Michter’s fan and can find it close to MSRP, buy it!

Nose reminds me of cold mornings of my childhood, tearing open the Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal packet of maple and brown sugar. Mouthfeel is gentle/light, but plenty of sweet cinnamon, raisins, quickly transitioning to black pepper/anise, fading slowly to a nice long dry oak finish. Just a hint of astringency on the finish is the only detractor. Proof hounds need not bother with this one. Probably not worth the secondary price, but a nice pour nonetheless.