Michter's 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review – 2023 Release

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Michter's Distillery
• MASH BILL: Not disclosed
• AGE: 10 years
• YEAR: 2023
• PROOF: 94.4
• MSRP: $185
• BUY ONLINE: Order Michter's Online

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Bourbon fans who deeply appreciate nuanced whiskeys such as this.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yes, if you're splurging a little, though $185 ain't cheap for most.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle, and partly because this release a single barrel and by design delivers uniqueness. Michter's 10 Year Bourbon has been so incredibly consistent over the years that any risk it'll be off is arguably zero. It's earned the trust to deserve a "bottle" rating.

OVERALL: The nose leads with sorghum molasses, raspberry tart, dark-fired tobacco, glove leather, creamed corn, soda bread, macadamia nuts, chocolate graham cracker ... yeah, all that and more. On the palate comes toasted oak, dark caramel, chocolate ganache, ground coffee and almond croissant and the subtlest hint oak with no appreciable tannin. The finish is so soft, short and warm that it seems deliberately designed, and I'm enjoying it.

While it's likely no one reading this will have the chance or part with the cash (given secondary pricing influence) to find two of these, it would be neat to do so. That's because the whiskey in this 10 year release could represent some of the last long-age releases using whiskey made by its undisclosed contract partner.

Its Shively distillery just completed its eighth year in operation, which means its aged stocks are approaching this lowest watermark of Michter's long-aged whiskeys. It might make for a nice reference bottle to compare with future releases that may differ some in taste.

All that said, given Michter's November release of its 25 Year Bourbon, who, other than the powers that be, could guess the size of its cache of tanked whiskeys that could be used to add consistency to future 10, 20 and 25-year releases? As the brand mentioned in its notes below, the whiskeys in this bottle are older than the age statement, but its team thought more time in the barrel would drive it closer to their taste preferences.

So let's put it this way: In the lifetimes of some reading this, we may never taste a Michter's release that presents any noticeable deviation from its delicious norm due to the company's ability to select, hold and wisely ration out its old whiskeys.

BRAND NOTES

This March, Louisville-based Michter’s Distillery released its 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. No Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon was shipped by the company in 2022, so this will mark the first release of this single barrel whiskey since 2021.

“I thought that the 10 Year Bourbon we are now releasing was drinking beautifully last year, but our Master Distiller Dan McKee and our Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson told me that with one more year of maturation it would be extraordinary,” stated Michter’s president Joseph J. Magliocco. “At Michter’s the goal we strive for is to produce the greatest American whiskey. We’re grateful for all the understanding and patience that our loyal Michter’s fans have shown in waiting an additional year for the release of our 10 Year Bourbon.”

Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer Wilson brings tremendous experience to her role of overseeing maturation of all Michter’s barrels. She observed, “There are many characteristics we are evaluating when considering barrels for this release including complexity, body and depth. These are the aspects of a whiskey that make it memorable, and we feel the additional time has complemented this release creating an experience that builds to the finish.”

“One of the most important things I learned from our late Master Distiller Willie ‘Dr. No’ Pratt was patience. He would not release a product unless he felt it was at its peak maturation,” commented McKee. “Last year, Andrea and I tasted the then already well over 10 year old bourbon and spoke about it. We both felt that it would be exceptional with one more year in the barrel. I’m so excited about how it turned out.”

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.