Michter's. What's In A Name?

[cowdery]

I speak now about the distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, where A. H. Hirsch Bourbon was made.

I am going to stop calling it Michter's.

Maybe I'll just call it by its real name when the A. H. Hirsch Bourbon was distilled there, Pennco. But I won't call it Michter's. Here's the thing. A company called Chatham Imports picked up the Michter's name after it was abandoned and now claims for itself all of Michter's past glory, all 260 years of it. They're playing the old marketing game of telling the literal truth while being grossly misleading.

Their latest outrage is this statement from a recent press release: "Michter’s has been distilling in Bardstown, Ky., since the 1990s, using other companies’ facilities."

In other words, you didn't just buy a new Ford. You manufactured it yourself in Detroit using other companies' facilities.

Since Chatham re-registered and began to use the Michter's trademark, they have hired Bardstown's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Inc. (KBD) to produce their Michter's products. KBD recently began to distill on a small scale but their primarily business is buying whiskey from distilleries, bottling it, and marketing it under various brand names, including names supplied by customers such as Chatham.

Here's the plan. Chatham did nothing wrong. They obtained the Michter's name fair and square. So, from now on, when I mention 'Michter's,' I will be talking about them. If I'm instead referring to the historic distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, where A. H. Hirsch Bourbon was made, I'll refer to it like that. I may, at times, just shorten it to 'Schaefferstown,' even though the distillery there was never called that.

Which brings me to the third person plural. When Michter's says 'we' in reference to its activities since it grabbed the name, that's okay, but when they say 'we' in reference to anything that happened in Schaefferstown, I will call them out, because that's a lie.

[ethangsmith]

Interesting you make this post. I was just having conversation with Dick and Elaine Stoll this afternoon. I am glad that someone else other than me is taking issue with the way the "new" Michter's promotes itself. It's so wrong it makes my blood boil. Michter's did not start in 1753, it started in 1953 (Give or take a year or 2). It was the distillery that Michter's was distilled at that was started in 1753. I won't keep going as it will only make me angry, but I will say I am glad to see these guys get called out on their misleading and downright untruthful statements. The whiskey ain't bad- I'm actually a fan of the American Whiskey they make. I also like to see the Michter's name still in use. I just wish they would be more truthful in their advertising and marketing.

Edited July 1, 2012 by ethangsmith

[cowdery]

Michter's Original Sour Mash whiskey was made at the distillery in Schaefferstown from 1953 to 1990, so 37 years. The distillery was only actually called Michter's for 15 years, 1975-1990. Chatham says it has been using the name since "the 90s." The earliest registration of the name with the Kentucky Secretary of State, registering it to KBD, is 1998. So the revival of the name is in its 14th year.

That is the sum total of the true and correct history of Michter's. This Michter's is entitled to that, nothing more.

They could tell a very positive story using the true facts but they prefer to make shit up. That doesn't make me want to drink their whiskey.

[ethangsmith]

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself.

The Michter's story is actually a pretty short one. The funny thing is- Michter's started in the 50's as a bulk whiskey that "Michter's Jug House" "Decanted and Bottled." So I suppose history has come full circle as the "new" Michter's buys bulk whiskey and "decants and bottles" the stuff. However, the Schaefferstown operation never tried to usurp history for fame and fortune. They called it for what it was and the story behind the product was legit.

[BourbonJoe]

Some of the whiskey made at Schaefferstown was terrific. I had a pot still decanter from Michters that contained 101 proof whiskey. I decanted it and donated the decanter to the Getz. It is proudly displayed in there today. I kept the whiskey, which was exceptional,and put it in a sacred place.....and now I can't find it. But when I do, I got some great whiskey to drink.

Joe :usflag:

[p_elliott]

Some of the whiskey made at Schaefferstown was terrific. I had a pot still decanter from Michters that contained 101 proof whiskey. I decanted it and donated the decanter to the Getz. It is proudly displayed in there today. I kept the whiskey, which was exceptional,and put it in a sacred place.....and now I can't find it. But when I do, I got some great whiskey to drink.

Joe :usflag:

Fricky got it :slappin:

[cowdery]

Safe place was probably Joe's stomach.

[White Dog]

I've always called the Chatham label, "Fake Michter's," whether I liked the whiskey or not.

[PaulO]

I've noticed that the modern version of Michters seems to be widely available for several years now, but there isn't much if any buzz about it. I thought about trying it once, when I was bored. I just couldn't rationalize it, paying like $40, no reviews, and it's made by who? It might be ok. I don't know. At one time they had some light colored younger whiskey. The label said it was made in IL. I passed on that too.