Every once in a while a bourbon comes along that blows away the competition. It doesn’t happen often, especially in an increasingly oversaturated market, but it does happen. And when it happens, it’s a fair bet that Michter’s might be the brand responsible. They’ve already released some true bangers this year — Celebration Sour Mash, 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon, 10-Year Single Barrel Rye, and some killer toasted barrel options. Now, they’re ending the year with a bomb.
Michter’s just released their first 25-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon since 2020. This whiskey is a representation of Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson, who have done the work to assure that this very limited release isn’t just special it’s iconic. A true once-in-a-lifetime pour for those lucky enough to taste it.
The Michter’s team has accomplished this by sourcing amazingly unique bourbon (made with an unknown but distinct mash bill). Those whiskey barrels were then stored in their climate-controlled warehouses at the Shivley (West Louisville) distillery until they were just right. That means that the youngest barrels in this small-batch bourbon blend are 25 years old (with some much older).
Bourbon rarely makes it to 20 years old much less 25 years old or older. It just gets too tannic, bitter, and over-oaked. So getting a batch of 25+ year-old Kentucky bourbon is a miracle in and of itself. If you’re a bourbon head, that should excite you. We really don’t know when we’ll get another 25-year-old Michter’s bourbon. And one thing is assured, nothing will be this exact release again.
Okay, let’s dive into what’s actually in this bottle of elite whiskey.
Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 25 Years Old
ABV: 58.1%
Average Price: $1,500 (MSRP)
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in the bottle was distilled in or before 1998 at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery from a unique mash bill. That whiskey went into new American white oak barrels and was basically left alone until they were moved over to the Shively, Kentucky campus where they were monitored for excellence. When the barrels hit the right mark — that’s where the Michter’s team’s prowess comes in — they were batched for this very small limited release and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of old molasses vats that held prunes, dates, and raisins with a sense of winter spice barks, berries, and buds next to brown buttery Christmas sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with ground vanilla pods before this light sense of smoked walnut shells and fire-roasted chestnuts arrives.
Palate: That molasses leans toward thick hot chocolate just kissed with red chili before a deep sense of candied almonds takes the taste toward rich and moist sticky toffee pudding flaked with sea salt and fresh orange zest with a hint of vanilla buttercream.
Finish: The end leans into dried sweetgrass and old fall leaves in an apple orchard with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark-as-night chocolate and kissed with a mix of woody brown winter spices wrapped up in old tobacco leaves and stored in a very old whiskey barrel in a musty old brick rickhouse on a cold fall day.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfect sipping bourbon. Poured neat it has a deep sense of Christmas holiday spices and dried fruits with dark candies before diving into the dry woods and grasses of an old distillery campus.
Ranking:
100/100 — Perfect. I adore it. Period.
Where To Buy:
Brasstacks, you’re going to have to pay $10,000-$15,000 (or more for this bottle) if you want to outright buy it. There are only 385 bottles in the whole world and those are already spoken for at elite retailers, bars, and restaurants.
My advice is to find the whiskey bar or restaurant that has the bottle and try a pour (expect to pay around $200 per ounce). If it’s something that you fall in love with, then pursue paying that high price tag. If you collect bourbon or are interested in collecting, this is certainly a bottle worth holding. Good luck out there!
