Before this bottle, when was the last time I had purchased a Michter’s product? For that matter, when was the last time I had even sipped on one? A decade? Decade and a half? That seems fairly likely because I don’t recall having any since I lived in California and that stopped being the case in January 2009. I had been hearing a lot about how good their products are, though, so I decided to get a bottle of their Small Batch Bourbon. They aren’t cheap around here…I paid about $45 whereas I’ve seen this same bottle as low as $35 online.
Michter’s does not advertise their mash bill, preferring to just say it is “carefully selected” and “features the highest quality American corn.” After their bourbon is aged, they batch it in a holding tank that fits no more than twenty full barrels, keeping it a true “small batch” product. If you want to play along at home, the batch my bottle is from is 25B0753. It is bottled at 91.4 proof (45.7% alcohol by volume).
The Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon was a medium amber color in the glass and after swirling it around in my glass, I noticed that the legs were slow-developing and extremely slow to drip down the inside of the glass. That is surprising considering the fairly low proof point. I wondered if this was a result of non-chill filtration, but all I could find on the subject was a note on the back label that says the whiskey is “further mellowed by our signature filtration.”
When I stuck my nose in the glass, I immediately got a strong brown sugar aroma, followed up with vanilla before some alcohol vapors made their way into the aroma. Taking a sip, this whiskey seems light and mildly sweet at the tip of the tongue, with subtle pear and apple notes before the caramel and vanilla arrived at mid-palate. The finish was a little spicy, though not overwhelmingly so, and it was long-lasting and satisfying. I had put off buying Michter’s products because they all tend to start in the mid to upper $40 range in my region…I can see me buying more for that price…and if I can find someone who sells them closer to MSRP, they might get a regular spot in my bar.
