Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

[boss302]

I am guessing this is a product of Heaven Hill, as the new Michter's label cites a Bardstown, KY source. While it is my belief that the Michter's label should never apply to anything outside Pennsylvania, I am willing to give this thing a try if someone can convince me it is worth the $35/btl currently being charged for it at the local state store.

I'm hearing it's >80% corn, thus making it, technically, a corn whiskey. Would this put it on the sweet side of the whiskey spectrum?

If anyone has any experience with this spirit, let me know.

[Josh]

I believe the source is HH but I think it's actually a product of KBD. I've had a sample of it and I would definately say it's sweet, sickeningly so.

Didn't really taste like a corn whiskey though. Tasted more like a sweet Canadian to me, even though it's not.

[squire]

Hey Josh, it may be a KBD product but they don't actually make it. This may be an example of where some of Heaven Hill's mature product winds up. I wouldn't pay $35.00 for it though.

[cowdery]

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

For those of you who don't know, you can go to the Kentucky Secretary of State's web site, enter the producer's name as shown on the label, and find out who has the active rights to that DBA. ("Doing Business As," i.e., an assumed business name.)

[Josh]

If anyone has any experience with this spirit, let me know.

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

From my rather fuzzy recollection it tasted closer to the HH profile than anything else, but it could be a mix of whiskeys from multiple sources. All I remember is that it was not very good, and I wouldn't pay $35 for it. I probably wouldn't pay $3.50 for it frankly. The bourbon is slightly better but not by much. And I would bet anybody dollars to doughnuts that the bourbon is sourced from HH.

[sku]

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

For those of you who don't know, you can go to the Kentucky Secretary of State's web site, enter the producer's name as shown on the label, and find out who has the active rights to that DBA. ("Doing Business As," i.e., an assumed business name.)

If that's the case, what's the role of Chatham Imports, which lists Michter's as one of its products. Are they the distributor?

[barturtle]

If that's the case, what's the role of Chatham Imports, which lists Michter's as one of its products. Are they the distributor?

I believe, and Chuck will probably correct me:

Due to the out of date liquor laws on the books, which never expected someone to own a liquor brand who didn't also own the distillery that produced it (or at the very least bottle it themselves), that the bottler actually has to be registered with a d.b.a. that matches the name on the label. So in other words, if the bottle says "Bottled by Asshole Distilling Company" the people who do the bottling have to have been registered to operate as such.

So in this case, the owner (Chatham Imports) would grant a limited license to KBD for them to use their trademark while bottling product for them. KBD would then go and register this trademark with the state, so that when they are bottling product under that label they can (on paper anyway) hang the correct shingle on the door.

[boss302]

No matter how you slice it, seeing the Michter's label on a product not from Shaefferstown, PA is quite depressing to us PA whiskey aficionados...

So, how does KBD work? It is my understanding they don't have their own distillery. Do they at least have their own rick-houses? Or do they just blend and bottle?

[squire]

Oh yes, they have their own distillery, it's been in their family for generations. It just doesn't do any distilling.

[Josh]

Oh yes, they have their own distillery, it's been in their family for generations. It just doesn't do any distilling.

If it's not distilling anything then is it still a distillery? Or just a building with a still?

But seriously folks...from what I've read, their M.O. is to buy bulk whiskey from other distilleries then age, bottle and market it themselves. The only decent whiskey I've had from KBD is Rowan's Creek, which is mighty tasty stuff. Very smooth and sweet. Noah's Mill is an older version of RC, I think. Haven't tried that yet.

[barturtle]

If it's not distilling anything then is it still a distillery? Or just a building with a still?

But seriously folks...from what I've read, their M.O. is to buy bulk whiskey from other distilleries then age, bottle and market it themselves. The only decent whiskey I've had from KBD is Rowan's Creek, which is mighty tasty stuff. Very smooth and sweet. Noah's Mill is an older version of RC, I think. Haven't tried that yet.

You haven't had any of the Willett's bottlings yet?

Other brands bottled by them:

Pure KY XO

Old Bardstown

Johnny Drum

Kentucky Pride

Kentucky Vintage

Vintage Bourbon

Vintage Rye

Corner Creek

Peter Jake

Classic Cask

Black Maple Hill

LeNell's Red Hook Rye

[Josh]

You haven't had any of the Willett's bottlings yet?

Other brands bottled by them:

Pure KY XO

Old Bardstown

Johnny Drum

Kentucky Pride

Kentucky Vintage

Vintage Bourbon

Vintage Rye

Corner Creek

Peter Jake

Classic Cask

Black Maple Hill

LeNell's Red Hook Rye

[barturtle]

No I haven't. I've seen a number of the other brands listed, but I've been too scared or cheap to grab any. Any reccomendations, my hard shelled friend?

[sku]

I just did a tasting of Rowan's, Kentucky Vintage and Pure Kentucky XO. I liked Pure Kentucky XO the best and didn't care for the other two.

Pure Kentucky had the taste of an old HH product, much like Elijah Craig 18.

Kentucky Vintage was very light, possibly a wheater or a very low rye mashbill. I found it a bit soapy and lacking in complexity.

Rowan's Creek was very heavy on the rye, but it was a bit harsh, particularly for a 12 year old. (Barturtle, the Rowan's I had, which was newly purchased, did have an age statement, did they drop it recently?)

[barturtle]

Barturtle, the Rowan's I had, which was newly purchased, did have an age statement, did they drop it recently?

[squire]

Josh, while it's true there are some Willet brands the distillery ceased making whiskey in the early 1970s so it's doubtful there is a drop of original Willet in the mingle.

[cowdery]

Barturtle has it right about Chatham and KBD's DBA. The DBA thing is Kentucky law. As far as the feds are concerned, Chatham is the producer because they are the ones selling it to distributors. You might also call them a distributor, but I prefer the term non-distiller producer (NDP) because "distributor" has such a specific legal meaning in the booze world, as the middleman between producer and retailer.

[AVB]

I did a review of Rowan's Creek and Noah's Mill if you care to read them.

[JMac72]

I just did a tasting of Rowan's, Kentucky Vintage and Pure Kentucky XO. I liked Pure Kentucky XO the best and didn't care for the other two.

So would you recommend this one as worth the effort and price to find it?

[boss302]

Wow... talk about a HIJACKED THREAD!!!!! :hot:

Okay, another question-- I heard a rumor that the current producer of Michter's bought the recipes along with the name, thus the current Michter's is still produced to the original mash recipes-- just with different water and different stills.

Can anyone substantiate this claim?

Oh yeah, I live 30 minutes from the original Michter's distillery in Shaefferstown, PA. It still has a lot of prestige amongst local customers 40 and over, hence my questions. Some of my co-workers and I are wondering if we should talk our beverage manager into carrying it.

[AVB]

IMO, no it isn't worth it. While I haven't gone through a whole bottle I have had some of my friends who did buy a bottle. Better things to spend $30 on. YMMV

Some of my co-workers and I are wondering if we should talk our beverage manager into carrying it.

[ethangsmith]

Wow... talk about a HIJACKED THREAD!!!!! :hot:

Okay, another question-- I heard a rumor that the current producer of Michter's bought the recipes along with the name, thus the current Michter's is still produced to the original mash recipes-- just with different water and different stills.

Can anyone substantiate this claim?

Oh yeah, I live 30 minutes from the original Michter's distillery in Shaefferstown, PA. It still has a lot of prestige amongst local customers 40 and over, hence my questions. Some of my co-workers and I are wondering if we should talk our beverage manager into carrying it.

[Josh]

IMO, no it isn't worth it. While I haven't gone through a whole bottle I have had some of my friends who did buy a bottle. Better things to spend $30 on. YMMV

I agree. The rye is mediocre, the Bourbon is worse and the American Whiskey is worser. Next to New Holland's Zeppelin Bend (not including some tainted bottles of otherwise good whiskeys) those last two are the worst whiskeys I've ever had. I don't know why they even bother. It's a disgrace to the name and to the PA distilling tradition.:hot:

[fricky]

I like the 10 yr old single barrel Michter's Bourbon and the 10 yr old single barrel Michter's Rye. Based on what I tasted, I am not a big fan of Michter's small batch US 1 bourbon. As we all know, idividual tastes differ. That is a good thing; otherwise, we would not have many whiskies from which to choose.

By the way, how does one know if the original Michter's that you like was in fact distilled at Michter's?

[ethangsmith]

Check out the bottle. All the new Michter's stuff is labeled that it is from Bardstown, KY. All the PA stuff either says "Distilled and Bottled in Pennsylvania" or "Schaefferstown, PA." In 1993, the ATF came in and removed ALL the whiskey from the abandoned Michter's property in Schaefferstown. The whiskey was sent to Philly and redistilled into alcohol for coolant or high octane race gas. The ONLY surviving Schaefferstown Michter's is in old decanters or glass bottles or A.H. Hirsch bottlings.