Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash Whiskey Returns After 3 Years

When Joseph Magliocco paid $245 for the trademark to Michter’s whiskey in the mid-1990s, the name was literally all he got. The Pennsylvania distillery had gone out of business years before, its stocks of whiskey depleted, its employees scattered. Magliocco moved Michter’s to Kentucky and rebuilt it from scratch. Three decades later, it’s one of the spirits industry’s great success stories, with two distilleries and some of the most coveted — and expensive, on the secondary market — American bourbons and ryes.

Although today’s Michter’s is a very different animal from its previous incarnation, Magliocco kept its Sour Mash expression as a nod to the brand’s Pennsylvania history. “We did not have the Pennsylvania mashbills and recipes,” Magliocco recalls, “but we did have a lot of ‘dusties’ of Sour Mash, Pennsylvania Michter’s best seller. For years, our first Kentucky master distiller, Willie Pratt, worked on recreating it. One day, I got a phone call from Willie. He said, ‘I got it.’ When I asked if his whiskey was as good as the Pennsylvania Sour Mash, Willie said, ‘No. I think it’s better.’” Neither a bourbon nor a rye, lacking the requisite mashbill to claim either designation, Sour Mash remains a mainstay of Michter’s permanent lineup.

Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash, the distillery’s latest limited edition bottling, combines the heritage of Pennsylvania with innovations from its Kentucky era. According to Andrea Wilson, Michter’s master of maturation, “we were the first company to finish a fully matured bourbon in a second barrel that was toasted but not charred. Additionally, Michter’s — which was just named “World’s Most Admired Whiskey” for the third consecutive year — was the first to coin the phrase ‘Toasted Barrel Finish’ and unwittingly put a whole new category of American whiskey on the map.” They premiered the method with a bourbon in 2014, followed by their Toasted Barrel Finish Rye. The first Sour Mash finished in an uncharred toasted barrel was released in 2019. Due to limited supplies of the whiskey, this is only its third release, the last having come in 2022.

The barrels used to finish the Sour Mash are crafted from air-dried and seasoned staves that have been aged for at least 18 months, followed by a toasting method specific to the sour mash expression. Wilson explains, “The [toasting] profile was chosen to accentuate the honey characteristic with the smoky and campfire notes our Toasted fans adore.” Beyond that, the particulars of the toasting and the length of finishing are kept under wraps. “As Toasted releases have become incredibly popular,” she says, “we try to keep a few secrets about the process.” Wilson notes that the Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash offers a very different experience from Michter’s standard US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey, even though the base spirit and primary aging method are the same. “It’s a great experience for people to compare,” she says, “to experience the difference a uniquely designed toasted barrel finish can make. … It really deepens the honey characteristics of the Sour Mash and enriches the spice and citrus notes with a sweet butter pecan and gentle smoky finish. Perfect for a night by a campfire.”

While higher-proof and “Hazmat” cask strength whiskeys have become more popular in recent years, Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash (in addition to standard US*1 Sour Mash) is relatively tame at 86 proof (43% ABV) — and there are no plans to change it. “Each Michter’s product is evaluated to determine the proof that we believe the product reveals its perfect quality,” Wilson says. “While proof can increase flavor intensity, high proof is not required to have a smooth, rich, flavorful drinking experience.”

The Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash seems to be a permanent part of the Michter’s lineup. However, supply is limited, and it’s been three years since the last release, which meanso enthusiasts would do well to search one out sooner rather than later — especially given the inevitable price increases once this batch sells out.