Michter’s Distillery has announced the first release of their US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey.
While the distillery has released Toasted Barrel Bourbon and Toasted Barrel Rye in the past, this will be the first time they’ve finished their Sour Mash Whiskey in their specially made toasted barrels. The type of toasted barrel used by Michter’s depends on the whiskey being finished inside.
“The toast profile used to finish our Toasted Barrel Sour Mash differs from both the toast profile used for our Toasted Bourbon and the toast profile used for our Toasted Barrel Strength Rye,” explains Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson in a press release this morning.
“A milder toast was chosen to enhance the toffee character of the US*1 Sour Mash and provide a hint of campfire on the finish. After evaluating different degrees of toasting, we selected a level that would provide the toasty profile people enjoy while complementing the elegance of the sour mash whiskey,” she added.
Sour mash whiskey is made by using spent fermented grains from a previous round of distillation to start fermentation in a new batch, similar to a sourdough bread. For centuries, this was the safest and surest way for a distillery to keep a consistent product.
The grain bill of Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey doesn’t qualify for a bourbon or rye, meaning the percentage of both corn and rye in the recipe are each below 51%. Michter’s doesn’t release the recipe, but they do say that their sour mash whiskey “starts out like a bourbon, finishes like a rye.”
“We’ve been very happy with how our Toasted Barrel Bourbon and Toasted Barrel Strength Rye releases have come out, and we discovered that our Sour Mash Whiskey is also wonderful for toasted barrel finishing,” commented Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco.
Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey will arrive on shelves in the US and export markets in September for around $60 a bottle.
