Michter's US*1 American Whiskey

MICHTER’S AMERICAN WHISKEY BATCH 2212937 I love how Brown-Foreman really pushes boundaries with Mashbills, Barreling, and Blending. A trend that has even trickled down to their Flagship Jack Daniels line. This is one of their more interesting ventures and I’ve been looking forward to finding a bottle and sampling. *NOSE: Sawdust, Brown Sugar, Bananas Foster, Hints of Fresh Latex Paint, and Black Pepper. *NEAT: This is REALLY good. Buttery in texture, it’s Delicate but Complex. There are no Spikes or Hard Edges here, the flavors are all Full & Rounded. This is a Monet or Rubens, not a Picasso or Braque. Vanilla, Caramel, Buttercream Icing, Cream Soda, and Light Coconut with some Mild Tannins showing up on the backend. Smooth, Easy Finish with a surprising KYHug that slowly blooms in the chest. There is a pleasant layering coating of No. 2 Pencil and Cherry Vanilla Coke. *SPLASH: A few drops of water brings out Cocoa Powder on the Nose, and Cocoa, Oak, and Black Pepper Spice on the Palate. *VERDICT: I know we’re not supposed to say this word to describe whiskey, but at the risk of losing any whiskey cred I might have gained over the years, here goes… Smooth. And when I say Smooth, I mean Ultra Smooth. Without being boring. That’s an accomplishment. And if that’s not your thing, add a drop or two of water to release some oils and get a little spice. Definitely the class of the Michter’s line for me so far (going to get a backup for this bottle before they are gone) and up there with some of the best Brown-Foreman I’ve had.

Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I've yet to review. Also continuing with my Pantone color experimenting: this one is a clear version of Pantone 159 (https://www.pantone-colours.com), a touch more russet than others I've had recently. I haven't had this whiskey in a couple years, but I'd always recalled since my initial experience with it that it had an odd sweetness, almost like Sucralose. I'm getting that odd sweetness again, but Sucralose is perhaps not the best descriptor. If wax-bottle candy and Corn Pops had a love-child, the sweetness on the nose would be it. There's also some vanilla; not vanilla extract, but vanilla cake icing. There is a faint viscosity on the palate, and a lingering sweetness with that same vanilla icing. What this whiskey needs is another 15 or more proof points. This drinks like the Miller Lite of whiskey. It lacks substance. It's not flawed per se, or rough around the edges; but it lacks depth and complexity. There's a certain artificiality: with bourbon, you expect natural flavors, and a big Kentucky hug. Of course, this isn't bourbon, but whiskey, and perhaps it's the already-used barrels (rather than the new charred oak barrels that would give it a bourbon designation) that is its undoing. This isn't a sipper, and it's too blasé for cocktails. Interesting to experience, but not something I'd keep on hand. 2.75 on the Distiller scale. Batch # 17J1369. 83.4 proof. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

This is the last of Michter’s core 4 expressions I have to review. All-in-all, it’s been an enjoyable experience going through those. I started almost a decade ago with the bourbon, so it’s high time I got this one out of the way. Nose: Heavy brown sugar. Sawdust. Toasted almond along with macadamia nut. Caramel and vanilla. Cocoa and black pepper. Gala apple. Some fig and date. Welch’s White Grape Juice. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: More of the brown sugar from the nose. Gala apple. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Dried apricot with fig and date. Milk chocolate as well as a little Valentine’s raspberry chocolate. Leather, black pepper, and black tea. Finish: Toasted almond and macadamia nut. Sawdust and white pepper. Gala apple and leather. Dried apricot, fig, and date. Moderate length. Clove, nutmeg, and plenty of oak. Interestingly, the profile most closely resembles the Sour Mash out of the other three standard Michter’s expressions. Rich with dark, dried fruit and heavier sweet notes as opposed to the Small Batch Bourbon’s lighter sweet dominant profile (think banana, vanilla, toffee dominant.) Solid stuff here. I prefer the Sour Mash of the two because it better embodies the profile it strives to present. 41.7% ABV is perhaps a little too light for this one, but other than that, I have no complaints. Great VFM at $40. Another core line-up down. On to the 10-year. Well done, Michter’s. The whole line-up is quality stuff. 4/5.

Largely consistent with previous note (9/15/23), though not quite as harsh. Before even pouring I recalled my Sucralose / wax candy sweetness that I'd experienced previously. It's still there, though ore on the wax candy than the Sucralose side. Nose shows sawdust, honey, buttered pancake, and Corn Pops cereal. Sweet Corn Pops and a cooling licorice note on the palate. Some sweet burnt sugar and bitter espresso on the finish. This whiskey sits squarely in the middle of no-man's land in terms of practical applicability. It needs another 15 proof points minimum as a cocktail mixer, and it lacks the stuffing as a sipper. As the official Distiller review notes, this would be a good "introductory" whiskey--it's sweet and there's no hard edges. But not noteworthy. Would I buy it again? Doubtful. 3.25 on the Distiller scale.

Michter's Unblended American Whiskey. Batch 21I2609. 83.4 proof. Color - Copper. Nose - Caramel and oak on the forefront. Chocolate covered cherries. A little cinnamon. Cereal. Palate - Wow, this is sweet. Caramel and vanilla. Buttery. If you've ever had a buckeye candy, this tastes like a dark chocolate version of that. Finish - Very short finish. I guess this should be expected given the proof... Overall - The nose and palate on this bourbon are delicious. Good stuff. But it rolls off the tongue and leaves nothing to chew on with a finish. This bottle firmly sits in the category of "better if it was barrel-proof." Even then, this is still good as it is, and would be a great bottle for someone getting started in tasting bourbons/whiskeys.

I am not good with the smell or the nose, but this to me is really a pleasant sweet caramel on the nose with a tiny touch of honey, and then the taste is so smooth and warm (first time I have used warm to describe taste), its sweet honey caramel, and a little kentucky hug going down and the finish is nice and a little tingle and spice followed by a thick aftertaste as if you swallowed a spoonful of honey. This is one of the most pleasant sippers I have had to date, not super complicated or complex but in this case that is good, its got its flavor and does it so well.