Michters Distillery

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvanias Blue Mountain Valley. Within a few years, Shenk was harvesting more grains than he could sell, and so he began distilling the excess grains into whiskey. Shenks distillery, which was eventually named Michters Distillery, became the United States first distilling company. Just two decades after Shenk opened the doors to his distillery, General George Washington began purchasing Michters Distillery Whiskey in order to fortify his men as they camped through a long and brutal winter at Valley Forge. Michters Distillery, as the saying goes, was the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution.The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michters Distillery, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990s, however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michters Distillery," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world."Michters Distillery Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey is the culmination of Master Distiller William Pratts lifetime of experience in the whiskey industry. Pratt, a maturation perfectionist, is known as Dr. No since he often refuses to bottle aging barrels of whiskey. According to Pratt, whiskey that is aged for over a decade hits a "fork in the road,"and can either become incredible or unpalatable. "One of the barrels we sampled was unbelievably woody," Magliocco says. "And we reject that, we literally sewer it. Willie had another barrel that tasted delicious, but the consistency was like molasses, and we obviously couldnt sell that."Michters Distillery Celebration is a marriage of select casks of 20 year-old and 30 year-old whiskey, together with a few other exceptional barrels selected by Pratt personally. After the barrels were blended together, they were bottled by hand behind a label with 18 karat gold lettering. In addition, an elegant gift box was prepared for the bottle.Only 273 bottles of this sour mash whiskey were made in 2013. Pick up a bottle today!

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvanias Blue Mountain Valley. After a few years of hard work and long hours, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell at the local market. As a result, Shenk purchased a still and began distilling the excess grains he harvested into whiskey. His distillery, which was eventually named Michters, became the United States first distilling company.The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michters, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990s, however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michters," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world."Michters US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey is made from a mash comprised primarily of fresh, plump rye grains. Once the grains are harvested, they are sheared so that during fermentation, the grains are saturated with more flavor. After the grains have been fermented, they are distilled through a copper-pot still before being matured in charred, American oak barrels. The barrels are allowed to rest in a heat-cycled warehouse, which forces the wood to expand and contract as the temperature rises and falls. This heat cycling causes the whiskey and wood to mingle with each other, and contributes notes of marmalade and light caramel to the rye.Whenever we would sample right out of the US*1 Rye barrels, we loved the whiskey. We thought that our loyal US*1 Single Barrel Rye customers would enjoy tasting some at barrel strength, said Michters President Joseph J. Magliocco.Michters Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is the new and limited, overproof, straight-from-the-barrel version of Michters US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey. Although proof varies slightly by barrel, most bottles of Michters Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey are somewhere between 108 and 110.8 proof.As a result, the whiskey a bold aroma of butterscotch, golden raisins and vanilla, which leads to a palate bursting with morning toast, maple syrup and fresh fruit. The finish is spicy, with noticeable touches of mint, cinnamon and honey which linger on the tongue.This new release wont be around long, so be sure to pick up a bottle today!