Michters - again

[Gillman]

It's been a while since we've talked about Michter's.

This was an old Pennsylvania distillery which expired for good in the 1980's. Brands are issued today under the Michter name but the whiskey (which is certainly good) is from Kentucky.

There is also the surviving stocks of Hirsch 16, which is genuine Michter's and very good at its best, but it was aged much beyond what the Michter's-brand whiskey was as issued by Michter's from the 1950's-80's. That whiskey was 6 years old and was not technically a bourbon or rye: it was a straight-style whiskey but used a 50% corn mashbill, the rest being heavy on rye (37%) and remainder barley malt.

I've tasted quite a few of these, mostly from decanters I found myself or was traded by members here.

The last I have of it is about 4 ounces, which was from half a decanter traded to me by one of the senior members here.

I pull it out once in a while and had some today.

This whiskey is just so good. It has barrel influence but only lightly, just enough to lend a tinge of oak and smoke. It has a faint "old roses" taste (courtesy the rye) and is slightly sweet. It has a cold climate flavour with notes of maple, forest and Northern Appalachian fall air: how do you like them apples, or grains: I do, a lot.

I may never get any more but I have this little stash left which is a taste of history and likely similar to what was sold as Michter's before WW 1 (then the distillery was called Bomberger and it sold a straight rye, but I have every reason to think the Michter's Original Sour Mash of the later era mentioned was a recreation of that or pretty close).

Gary

[chouffe62]

I came across a Michters today; found in a dusty, little liquor store I never noticed before. The label states "Michter's Pot Still, 86 proof, Schafferstown, Lebanon County Pa. The tax stamp reads 581731244 (sorry, that's all I can make out through all the dust). The bottle appears to be 1.5 L in size. I've read that Michters closed in 1988. The price for this bottle is $29.99. Does anyone know how old this whiskey is? Any additional information would be Greatly appreciated. Oh, they also had a Booker's 7 yr with a black wax top. The batch number is C-K-03-82 (#21820). the bottling is 124.2 Proof. Thanks in advance.

[Gillman]

Probably bottled in the 1980's or 1970's and probably the classic, latter-day product of Michter's, which was the hybrid bourbon/rye I spoke of. Sometimes the whiskeys do not survive at their best in those decanters; sometimes they do. That is a good price and a rare find, I'd snap it up.

Gary

[chouffe62]

This particular bottling is in glass, so I'm guessing that the product inside should be in fairly good condition.

I haven't been past this store since I was a kid, say, 30 years ago. They're not in the phone book, so it never occurred to me that they were still in existence.

My grandfather used to buy his bourbon there. Place looks the same as it did back in the 70's. I'll have to go back later this week for the Michter's since the older gentleman at the counter takes "cash only", and I was just a tad short.

I have the feeling that this place is a treasure trove for dusties, but there is so much clutter that I can't get close enough to find out. I did notice a Erin Go Bragh 22 yr Irish Whiskey that I can't find any information on. There were several other whiskey bottlings that did not look familiar. When I go back for the Michter's I will have a pen and paper on hand.

[Gillman]

Interesting, I don't think I have ever seen a Michter's "handle" bottle. Anyway it should be good and possibly very good. If you search on this site under the Michter name it will bring up a lot of the history of that distillery and its products. It definitely made bourbon at times, and some straight rye, but what you found might be the distillery's distinctive Original Sour Mash, of which I gave the mash bill earlier (my information is from Michael Jackson's 1988 World Guide To Whisky). It seems some bottling was done at the distillery of whiskey distilled elsewhere, e.g., at Continental Distilling's plant in Philadelphia (there seem to have been links between the two distilleries at one time). Anyway, it's a find and probably very interesting.

Gary

[tango-papa]

I have the feeling that this place is a treasure trove for dusties, but there is so much clutter that I can't get close enough to find out. I did notice a Erin Go Bragh 22 yr Irish Whiskey that I can't find any information on. There were several other whiskey bottlings that did not look familiar. When I go back for the Michter's I will have a pen and paper on hand.

Look forward to hearing what you find!

~tp

[Jono]

Blowing some dust off of this thread....

I tried Michter's Rye at WhiskeyFest and found it to taste quite similar to Rittenhouse BIB....are there any common sources or just co-incidence (at least to my tongue)?

[TNbourbon]

Blowing some dust off of this thread....

I tried Michter's Rye at WhiskeyFest and found it to taste quite similar to Rittenhouse BIB....are there any common sources or just co-incidence (at least to my tongue)?

Maybe, but probably not. Heaven Hill does a lot of custom distilling for KBD -- which bottles the current Michter's, which is NOT related to the original Michter's from Pennsylvania, the theme of this thread. But KBD also has rye from other sources.

So, hard to tell...

[Slob]

I have yet to get my hands on any original Michter's. But the new Michter's is my favorite beverage. It's so refreshing. It should come in squeezable plastic bottles and be sold at children's soccer games.

[cowdery]

The 10-year-old Michter's rye is supposed to be actually much older and from the same KBD stock as all the other old ryes KBD has been bottling, that 1987 Cream of Kentucky batch.

The NAS Michter's rye probably is Heaven Hill/Rittenshouse, which actually is made by Brown-Forman.

Real Michter's of any kind is hard to find. The Hirsch 16-year-old is Michter's bourbon, not rye. Some of the stuff that's available in old decanters, which is often damaged in some way, is usually that Michter's product that was neither a bourbon nor a rye, their proprietary recipe. Real Michter's straight rye is one of the hardest gets there is.

[Jono]

"The NAS Michter's rye probably is Heaven Hill/Rittenshouse, which actually is made by Brown-Forman."

Hmm....I guess that jibes with my tasting impression....interesting how finding the actual source of a particular whiskey can be so complex.

[camduncan]

I might be able to get my hands on a Michter's Small Batch Bourbon 47.5%

Is this the same stuff mentioned here?

Has anyone tried the recent bottlings?

[cowdery]

Anything that's current production is from the non-distiller producer that is using the Michter's name. They have a range of products, including bourbon and rye. The original distiller for most products from non-distiller producers usually is either Barton or Heaven Hill. The others sell bulk whiskey only very rarely.

[Attila]

We just got a bottle of Michters, I believe from 88.

Does anyone know how many years this spent between distilling and bottling?

Very nice, kinda like rum. Smooth! Absolutely no burn. Notes of tea, toffee or maybe maple.

[polyamnesia]

i've never had the 'old' aboriginal Michter's...but the blue label, unblended whiskey (not a bourbon, i think), was really excellent. had it two years ago...was worth every penny of the $28 spent....it costs more now, but for a lower proof (and now that i know that i prefer much higher proof), this one still brings good memories. will have to revisit it. liked it much better than the Michter's bourbon (parchment colored label).

[chouffe62]

Just received word that Michters has released two very limited specialty bottles: a Rye (117.3 Proof) and a Bourbon (108.6 Proof). Both bottles are 25 years old (view attachment). The Bourbon is approximately $325, :bigeyes: while the Rye is going for $350. The email said California only has 20 bottles total. I wonder where else distribution will be and how much overall is available?

Has anyone else heard of this? Or perhaps has a bit more information than what I have?

Michters_25yr-1.pdf

[Virus_Of_Life]

I'd bet the bourbon is one of those very old Barrels of S-W we heard about, like the one that was recently bottled as Willett barrel proof. And I am sure the Rye is probably kin to all the other old ryes that we've been enjoying...

I would expect there isn't much of it, maybe a couple barrels of each was bottled, and I'd speculate there'd be a more in and around Kentucky than out west.

That's a lot of money for a bottle of whiskey!

[chouffe62]

I agree Christian, that is a lot of money for a bottle of whiskey!

I love the Willett, and if these bottlings are indicative of such quality, it certainly is tempting. But based on the unknown quantity, if I can get 2-3 Willetts for the price of one Michters, I'll stick with the Willett.

[p_elliott]

Just received word that Michters has released two very limited specialty bottles: a Rye (117.3 Proof) and a Bourbon (108.6 Proof). Both bottles are 25 years old (view attachment). The Bourbon is approximately $325, :bigeyes: while the Rye is going for $350. The email said California only has 20 bottles total. I wonder where else distribution will be and how much overall is available?

Has anyone else heard of this? Or perhaps has a bit more information than what I have?

[ATTACH]8348[/ATTACH]

Apparently Michters hasn't heard that that we're in a recession and no body is going to buy their whiskey at that price if they are i have a bridge to sell them along with their new bottle of of bourbon.

[cowdery]

Let the record show that Michter's was not "America’s first whiskey distilling company," that the Michter's name was a post-Prohibition renaming of the old Bomberger Distillery, which also was not "America’s first whiskey distilling company," but may at the time of its closing have been the oldest distillery in America. Even that's a stretch. Also, the company now using the Michter's name has no connection to the Bomberger/ Michter's distillery near Schaefferstown, PA, and none of the whiskey they sell was made at that distillery. That whiskey made at the site that became Bomberger/Michter's "warmed General Washington’s troops at Valley Forge" is, at best, a legend.

Chances are good that if you have had any of the very old bourbons or ryes bottled by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Ltd., you have had this whiskey.

[scratchline]

Damn, Chuck! Next you'll be telling me there is no Santa and pro wrestling is fake!!

Oh, man, I need a drink.

-Mike

[cowdery]

It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.

If you have access to the KBD "vintage" series, this probably is from the same stock. I don't know that for a fact, but it seems like a pretty good assumption.

According to the Kentucky Secretary of State, both KBD and Brown-Forman are producing for Michter's, i.e., Chatham Imports, but I don't see much 20+ year-old whiskey coming out of Brown-Forman.

[ggilbertva]

Yesterday while shopping in DC I found a large jug of Michters from c.1980. I shook the jug and sure enough, it had juice in it and seemed relatively full. $99.....left it on the shelf.

[cowdery]

While bourbon in a glass bottle with a screw cap will keep almost forever, everything else is dicey, especially ceramics. Although those containers were approved for spirits, no one really knows the consequences of keeping whiskey in them for 25+ years, because no one dreamed that anyone would.

[Buffalo Bill]

I have two more bottles of old Michter's here that's some of the best bourbon in my bunker. I haven't had the newer stuff... and considering the price-point? I don't think anytime soon. BB