Michter's Sour Mash Whiskey
Michter's US*1 Sour Mash is a 750ml American whiskey at 86 proof (43% ABV) with a résumé no other American whiskey can claim: in 2019 it became the first whiskey ever made in the United States to be named Whisky of the Year by London's The Whisky Exchange. It revives the distillery's most popular expression of the 1970s and '80s — the original Sour Mash disappeared in 1989 and returned triumphantly in 2012.
Sour mash is a fermentation method, not a flavor: a portion of each previous batch starts the next, the way sourdough starter works, for consistency across small batches. Michter's grain recipe is proprietary and deliberately falls between categories — too much rye to be bourbon, too much corn to be rye — so it opens like a bourbon and finishes like a rye. Aged in fire-charred new American white oak in heat-cycled warehouses, it is one of the most distinctive pours in American whiskey.
Tasting notes: Warm toasted sugar and spice on the nose; a silky palate of candied cherry, honeyed vanilla, dried fruit, and herbal tea with roasted nuts; a long finish that turns peppery and rye-like at the close.
Frequently asked questions:
What is sour mash whiskey? Whiskey made by the sour-mash fermentation process — recycling a portion of the previous batch's mash to start the new one. Nearly all American whiskey is made this way; Michter's simply named an expression for it.
What is the mash bill? Michter's does not disclose it. The grain selection is proprietary and intentionally does not qualify as either bourbon or rye.
Is there a barrel strength version? Yes — Michter's has released a limited US*1 Barrel Strength Sour Mash (around 111 proof). The standard bottling here is 86 proof.
