Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey42.4%
Tasted: Nov 2014
Full and quite sweet on the nose with plenty of oak character – coffee, coconut and toffee coated banana. The rye comes through pretty quickly with a slightly herbal edge. A touch of corn underpins along with some sweet spice. The aromas have a feel of maturity to them and I would guess the spirit is around 7/8 years old. Lovely depth, pleasantly soft and sweet but not too sweet.
The palate is crisper and more coffee’d. A lot drier than the nose would suggest. There is less creamy oak and more tannic oak, although the corn sweetness balances. The rye, again is lightly herbal and spicy. Lovely intensity and length with some oily toffee and chocolate on the finish.
Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey 42.4%
Tasted: Jan 2018
Earthy and spicy with a lovely, sweet rye character on the nose. Showing some maturity with hints of pepper and violets. Very subtly oaked, so the emphasis is firmly on the rye.
The palate displays a lovely soft, succulent and sweet rye character. There’s a little more, sweeter oak than the nose would suggest, but the earthy spices balance. Long and natural with some slightly oily corn on the finish and lingering dry, spicy tannins.
Michter’s US*1 Straight Rye 10 year old 46.6%
Tasted: Apr 2016
Nose: Intense and vibrant, black pepper coated rye with chunky coffee’d oak. Hints of balsamic, sour cherries, cinnamon sticks, ginger powder and cigar leaf. With time a sumptuous liquid orange note appears.
Palate: Very peppery and spicy, quite woody too with bitter chocolate. The unobtrusive oak balances until the dark rye arrives on a wave of mouth puckering bitterness. Intense is not the word.
Finish: Very dry, mouth-watering and a little short with lingering earthy, herbal marc-like notes.
Conclusion: Intense is an oft overused word, but not in this whiskies case! Some may find it too dry and bitter, but damn, its fun!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 