Michter’s Is Dropping a New Toasted Barrel Rye Whiskey in September
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Michter’s is a Kentucky distillery that is known for releasing some limited edition whiskeys, and that trend continues with announcement of the new US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye. Here are the details about this popular whiskey that hasn’t been released since 2021.
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Michter’s has released toasted barrel expressions of its bourbon and sour mash whiskey before as well. While there are clearly many fans of these releases, that flavor profile can be a polarizing one that excites as many whiskey fans as it turns off. Michter’s president Joseph Magliocco claims that his distillery was the first in American whiskey to release a toasted barrel finish in 2014, and basically created a new category at the time (many others have done so since). The basic concept is perhaps best explained by master of maturation Andrea Wilson. “Our master distiller Dan McKee and I first select fully matured barrels of our US*1 Rye,” she said in a press release. “Then we transfer each of those rye barrels for finishing into a second barrel, made of special wood naturally air-dried and seasoned outdoors for 24 months and toasted to our specifications, but not charred.”
All of this results in a flavor profile that is usually defined by a wood-forward palate, along with notes of toasted nuts, leather, and light tannins. Of course, each whiskey responds differently to a toasted barrel finish (particularly true when considering different categories), but Michter’s believes that its rye whiskey is well suited to this type of secondary maturation. “I enjoy rye in general,” said McKee, “and this Toasted Rye in particular is a full throttle flavor experience.” The average barrel proof for this release is 108.9, presumably giving it some heat on the palate as well (we haven’t had the pleasure of sampling yet).
Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye will be available starting next month for an SRP of $120, but expect to pay much more than that if you spot a bottle in the wild. Past releases can be found for more than twice that amount from websites like Drizly, so start hunting now if you’d like to compare whiskeys.
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