Review #201 - Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon
Another example of the many limited annual release bourbons, this is Michter's 10 Year, a Kentucky straight bourbon coming in single barrel form. This is actually a sourced product currently - Michter's is supposed to start bottling their own distillate in these 10 year releases in a few years.
Proof point is interesting here - unlike many of the special release bourbons, which come at barrel proof, this one is proofed down to 47.2% ABV, or 94.4 proof. Will it be able to deliver enough flavor at that strength? And, maybe more importantly, is the high price justified when there are plenty of other 10 year old bourbons readily available in the market for a fraction of the cost?
Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 185 (2024)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 47.2% ABV
Details: 2023 release; barrel 23E1845
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Rich, candied, and sweet. There are hard cherry candies, strawberries, and some subtle brown sugar notes; oak influence is relatively strong, and with more time, the scents transition to leather.
Palate: Medium mouthfeel, with nice aged notes of leather and tobacco up front. The sweetness is more subtle now; oak grows in strength, adding hints of cedar and a lumberyard. Quite mature, with a velvety texture.
Finish: Medium-long, with those mature notes again: cigar smoke, leather, and hints of spice linger. Later on, hints of red fruit like pomegranate seeds can be found, and there's a bit of wood char in the aftertaste; overall, somewhat subtle.
Final Note: Very tasty - this has more mature tasting notes than most 10 year old bourbons. It takes a little time to open up - it's just slightly dense and musty, but later on, you're rewarded. Richly flavored despite the proof, but also a subtle experience overall. Is it worth more than those other 10 year bourbons? Probably so, yes. Still, RRP isn't cheap, and because of the limited availability, the secondary prices on this bottle get quite steep.
Our Average Rating: 8.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.97
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