Michter's 2026 10 Year Bourbon Is Rock-Solid Terrific as Ever

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Michter's Distillery
• MASH BILL: Not disclosed, but at least 51% Corn
• AGE: 10 years
• YEAR: 2026
• PROOF: 94.4 (47.2% ABV)
• MSRP: $195 (same as last year, which is nice)
• BUY ONLINE: Not for sale on Michter's website, but it's widely available online for surprisingly inoffensive markups.

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Let's face it, this is for sharing with certain people: experienced bourbon drinkers; fans who understand the rarity of this bottle; whiskey nerds who get the uniqueness of it; and humans who understand that if they have to buy a bottle, it'll be a high cost and won't cringe if you pour them just an ounce.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yes. The more I write about whiskey, the better I understand maturity at different ages, and there aren't many at 10 years old that compare to this. That a whiskey of this quality is offered at $195 seemed steep years ago, but now it makes sense since it's so exceptional.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. Yeah, I know this is incredibly difficult to find anywhere or ever, much less at MSRP. But one taste is all the convincing you need to want the whole bottle.

OVERALL: Just a fun throwaway line to start: This retailer pretended like it was marking down the price of Michter's 10 Year Bourbon from $499 to $399, which is still a 105% markup over MSRP. Kinda funny, kinda sad, vividly real.

Let's start with a simple question: How does Michter's make this annual release so consistent–yet just barely and uniquely off profile from its predecessors each year? Do (COO and master of maturation) Andrea Wilson and (master distiller) Dan McKee ever get to the point in their process that they say, "My, this is mighty fine, but it tastes like 2025 and 2021, and people might pick up on that. Let's find something that takes an offramp, but only for a short distance, so drinkers can enjoy a new nuance"?

I don't know. But that's what's happening here. After I tasted this a few times ... OK, I'm lying ... let's just say more than a few, because that's what a "professional" must do when the Michter's 10 year bourbon arrives ... I recalled the 100ml reference sample I set back in 2025 and revisited it. As contributor Drew Beard wrote in his review last year, it was amazing. Michter's-quality bourbon, which is always high. If you Googled the definition of ideal bourbon, the picture of that bottle would come up. Were it human, it would introduce itself saying, "Nice to meet you, madam, sir, my name is Bourbon, Proper Bourbon."

This 2026 release is Proper Bourbon's offspring, and it's eaten a lot of stone fruit, cheap candy bars and state fair insulin-spiking snacks over the last decade or so.

Just nose it and you'll get nougat, cotton candy and dark chocolate. Toasted hazelnut really stands out against more moderate notes of dark honey and dusty oak. Since Michter's folks say often that "10 years" is just a number they use for the label since there's older whiskey in every release of it, you'd expect more old oak aromas. But they're not there for me, and I don't mind that at all. I'm busy digging those hazelnut and candy notes.

On the palate it's rich, lightly syrupy, delicate and with a slightly warming medium-length finish teetering on a perfect–literally perfect–amount of oak. It drinks old and fruity: candied orange, cooked cherries and a little cough syrup and some cigar leaf. The toffee note is just a little bitter, as if one making that candy neglected the boiling pot of sugar only 10 seconds too long–but I like that unexpected pivot. Were I insane, I'd make an old fashioned from this just to post up its Demerara syrup with that bitter edge. But that (probably) ain't happening.

This bourbon is as great as its always been, and doubtless it will remain great for future iterations. If you can find it and afford it, get it. If your spouse objects, just pour her or him a 2-ounce peace offering and trust that the truce will be acceptable. Reconcile the monthly budget later.

BRAND NOTES

TASTING NOTES: Big and bold dark toffee and caramel, charred oak, maple syrup and vanilla.

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.