Michter's 10 Year Kentucky Straight Rye Review
A single sip shows off its super-soft mouthfeel, and as always, this whiskey is precision balanced with no single flavor rushing to the fore. Soon enough, though, toasted oak emerges arm and arm with candied cherry, sugar maple candy and graham cracker.
BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Michter's Distllery
- MASH BILL: Not disclosed
- AGE: 10 years
- YEAR: 2023
- PROOF: 92.8
- MSRP: $200
- BUY ONLINE: Order Michter's Online
STEVE'S NOTES
SHARE WITH: Any American whiskey lover, but especially those who love Michter's ryes, their subtleties and range.
WORTH THE PRICE: $200 is a big ask for most, but given that some whiskeys half this age have price tags bearing nearly the same cost, it might be worth the stretch if you have the coin.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. Why given what I said above? Once you start this, you'll want to finish it yourself. (Over time, of course. Let's not get carried away!) You don't want to miss the way a Michter's 10 Year Rye evolves in the bottle.
OVERALL: The whiskey offers up aromas of bubble gum, fruity esters, acetone, browned biscuit, rye grain, pekoe tea, spearmint gum, cotton candy/confectioner's sugar and buttercream. It's a challenge to stop nosing and get on to tasting it. If beautiful music had aromas, this is what it would smell like.
A single sip shows off its super-soft mouthfeel, and as always, this whiskey is precision balanced with no single flavor rushing to the fore. Soon enough, though, toasted oak emerges arm and arm with candied cherry, sugar maple candy and graham cracker. Further sips deliver a bit of campfire and the tiniest bit of sulfur at the end. The finish is medium length, nicely spicy and pleasantly drying.
Here's where my review gets a little screwy: Its lone letdown to me is that I wish this had more rye influence. If someone said, "Have a pour of this whiskey," and I had no consideration of its origin or mashbill, I'd say, "This is terrific," without immediately recognizing it as a rye. It tastes more like a mature and balanced bourbon, albeit wrapped in a silk suit.
But, for the sake of, ahem, professionalism, I revisited this year's Michter's 10 Year Bourbon for a comparative sip, and followed that with a sip of the rye. Perhaps surprising to no one, that awakened its rye notes. And since I had some leftover cornbread to add to this tasting, a bite of that brightened its rye notes even further. Sometimes all it takes is little food to bring out subtler rye notes in a well-mannered pour.
BRAND NOTES
“Our goal is to make the greatest American whiskey,” Master Distiller Dan McKee said in a press release. “We would love to be able to offer more of it, but we simply won’t do so until the whiskey is ready at the standard our loyal Michter’s drinkers expect. I do think that we have some good news to share in that respect, which is why I am so happy to introduce the 2023 release of Michter’s 10 Year Rye.”
While all types of Michter’s continue to be allocated, the distillery is releasing 10 Year Rye for the first time since July 2022. A Kentucky style rye with a good amount of corn and malted barley in the mashbill, Michter’s 10 Year Rye has a suggested U.S. retail price of $200 per 750ml bottle.
Andrea Wilson, Michter’s Master of Maturation, said, “The 10 Year Rye release is elegant, yet full of herbal and honey characters with warm spice resulting in a captivating, rich, smooth drinking experience. I am hopeful that it will bring a smile to everyone who experiences it as we work to bring even more wonderful Michter’s to market.”
Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.