Michter's Unblended American Whiskey - Oh, That's Nice

 

Michter's Unblended American Whiskey shares something in common with its stablemate and previous dram, Michter's Sour Mash Whiskey - a mysterious set of ingredients.

It's not labelled as a rye or a bourbon, which means that it's likely less than 50% corn or rye in the mash. Outside of that, what's in it is anybody's guess. Well, Michter's swears there are no neutral grain spirits in there, so we can rule that out.

My guess is some combination of corn, wheat and barley - if there's rye in the mash, it doesn't seem to be a a lot, as there's not much in the way of the spicy, peppery notes I associate with rye.

Michter's American (my AC is out so I'm in no mood to retype that damn long name in full anymore) is aged in used bourbon barrels, and then cut down down at bottling to 83 proof. How long is it aged? Good question - Michter's isn't saying.

Of course, the real question, the only questions that matters are:

Is the whiskey in the bottle any good?

Is it worth the price ($40-45 in the states)?

The answer to the first question is yes - it's good. There's honey and caramel and vanilla in the nose. Like the Sour Mash, it's a lightish whiskey on the tongue. The flavor is sweet, especially with a little water, more honey and caramel notes and hints of distinctive bourbon flavor that accent but don't overwhelm. The sweetness  fades moderately quickly to light bit of spice, and then it's mostly gone.

Is it worth the price? Just like with the Sour Mash, I'm undecided. It's good, and I'm glad I took the chance on the bottle. Will I buy another bottle when I finish this one? Perhaps. I like it more than the Sour Mash, but for that price, there are still other whiskies I like more.