Michter's US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey

Today I’ve got a staple whiskey that I’m surprised I haven’t gotten around to yet. I like the Michter’s bourbon, and I like the rye even better. Here we’ve got a bourbon-rye hybrid, so if all goes well, this should be solid. Nose: Heavy on the vanilla, caramel, gala apple, toffee, and brown sugar. Some maple pecan and toasted almond. Cocoa, nutmeg, sawdust, black pepper, clove, a smidge of pipe smoke, and a powerful hit of oak. Palate: Plenty of toasted almond. Gala apple. Spicy black pepper. Milk chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and vanilla. High viscosity. A little leathery. Some cherry, Vick’s Vapor Rub. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Gala apple and caramel. Some menthol, spearmint. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Red hot tamale. Plenty of oak. Moderate, maybe moderate-long finish. Surprisingly hot on the way out. What an amazing deal I got for this one. It’s a beautiful blend of the best attributes of both the Michter’s Bourbon and their rye. 4.5/5. VFM is certainly achieved here. $40 is no price at all to pay for a bottle of this ilk. It’s the best offering between this, their rye, and their bourbon—in that order. Very much looking forward to trying the American Oak after this excellent showing.

Coming in at 86 proof, this Michter's Sour Mash is a very nice sipper. Although it's not as rich Michter's other expressions this one still holds its own. On the nose it pit me in the mindset of caramel and nouget candy bar, and a sweetness similar to taking a whiff of a box of raisins or figs... The palate is enjoyable, very light, not to sweet, and certainly not harsh. There is a faint taste of honey, rye bread, and yes there is a sour or sourdough-ish taste on the finish. This was an allocated bourbon in my area, I'd buy it again, as it is a great sipper. I'd suggest drinking this one neat, because of the low proof.

This has a nose with tons of oak. I also get a little nutmeg and black cherry as others have stated. Palate has some vanilla, oak, butterscotch. Mouthfeel is thin. Finish is astringent and a little dry. There is leather, sweet oak and honey spread over hostess white bread with a dash of pepper. The unblended American whiskey blows this away. Wish I would have went with another bottle of that one.

Blind whiskey tasting with friends. The main thing that stood out about it was its thinness. I'm sure it didn't stand up well to the others in the lineup because it was the lowest proof of the bourbon entries and was bracketed on either side by just better whiskies. I thought this was fine, and I could see going higher on the rating in a tasting on its own.

Not picking up a whole lot here. Nose and palate are average, low proof, and standard with some subtle sweetness, caramel and oak. Finish has a slight tang or tart, but perhaps its just a placebo from the name “sour mash”. Not sure if dropping in already fermented mash from the prior batch moves the needle much on aromatics or taste.

A solid sipper. I've only had one pour so far, but enjoyed it. Its git all the classics bourbon tastes, with an underlying, not unpleasant, earthy dried corn note. Not a bad price point, but its surprisingly hard to find around here. Its a coin toss as to whether I would purchase again at $50.