Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey

[Gillman]

Casting around this morning for taste notes or other information on the new product, I found this:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...istillers-mash

People can draw their own conclusions.

Gary

[Gillman]

Here is an interesting taste note from Clay Risen on this product and two others, tasted in a brace:

http://clayrisen.com/

Gary

[cowdery]

From its introduction in the 1950s, Michter's Original Sour Mash was sold primarily in Pennsylvania. Several unsuccessful attempts to gain adherents outside of Pennsylvania were made. One such was trying to turn it into a Jack Daniel's clone, a strategy followed with much more success by Heaven Hill with Evan Williams, the Ripys with Ezra Brooks, and others. Michter's had what was then a unique privilege of being able to sell its product at the distillery's gift shop and by the end, that's the only place Michter's Original Sour Mash was sold. At the end, it was selling about 10,000 cases a year.

I've tasted it and still have a couple of unopened bottles. It's not bad, but nothing special. I've had better whiskey from some of the decanters they put out. Perhaps it was older. Or perhaps the inevitable oxidation that occurs from a long time in ceramic helped it.

Potemkin Michter's is spending a lot of money and generating a lot of publicity. In a field with many dubious practitioners, they are among the worst. You pay your money and you take your chances. The USA is a free country and so, more or less, is Canada. All of that said, it's hard to say anything bad about the whiskey Potemkin Michter's is putting in its bottles. I would hate to give money to such sleazes, but I won't hesitate to drink the whiskey if it's offered to me.

[PaulO]

I can appreciate both points of view. Gary is interested to try something new. Chuck is skeptical of people that infer and obfiscate. My own experience is that when a store in Indy had a big display of the new Michters stuff, I couldn't justify $40 for someting from a non-distiller, not very old, and no reviews from folks here. I ended up going home with a couple bottles of single barrel OWA

[squire]

Sound choice Paul. In the past I was as eager as anyone to plonk down the cash when something new appeared on the market but not so now. Perhaps it's the cease of restlessness that comes from repeated experience.

While I admire Gary's boundless intellectual curiosity concerning whisky, and his willingness to share his experiences here, for my part I'll stick with what I know.

[T Comp]

I can appreciate both points of view. Gary is interested to try something new. Chuck is skeptical of people that infer and obfiscate.

I expect nothing less from these two fine gentleman who are schooled in a noble profession .

[squire]

Thanks Thad, I overlooked the noble part.

[ethangsmith]

Sorry I missed this thread. To answer a few questions and reinforce some comments here:
1. The doubler was used one batch at a time. Dick told me that what came off the column by the end of the day was condensed and put into the doubler for doubling the following day. He said it was a pain because it created a bit of a choke point in the process.
2. There is no possible way the new Michter's bought old Michter's whiskey. The bond had not been paid for many years on any of the whiskey that was aging at Michter's and so when the operation shut down in 1990, three years later the BATF had Dick and several others inventory all the whiskey. When inventory had finished, the BATF came in with large plastic troughs and drilled each barrel while it was still on the rack and used the trough to funnel the whiskey into tanker trucks. Since the bond had not been paid, the government destroyed all the whiskey by redistilling it into other products. For the new Michter's to claim they bought some of it would certainly be impossible and probably their first slip-up they can actually be nailed on. I know of no stocks that left the distillery other than the Hirsch barrels in 1988.
3. So what is this new pot still product? Does this replace the Michter's Unblended American Whiskey they have out now? Will this not taste like crap?

[squire]

Certainly a violation of Truth in Labeling laws and regulations but I doubt Federal regulators are interested in going on record as defenders of the rights of whisky drinkers.

[squire]

Whatever it is, it's not pot still either, unless they got it from Woodford, which is unlikely.