Michter’s by Nick Perretta

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Slide Notes

Michter’s

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

LET’S TALK ABOUT:

MICHTER’S

Bourbon vs Rye
It’s in the 51%
Apart from their past popularity ratings, the main difference between Rye and Bourbon is in their main ingredients.

According to the US law, Bourbon must be distilled from mash that’s at least 51% corn, while Rye Whiskey must be at least 51% Rye. The remaining 49% in both cases can be another grain. The grains used for distillation influence the flavour profile of the final drink. Corn and wheat tend to be sweet, while rye is spicy.

Photo by jacilluch

Cooperage
Paying Careful Attention to the Wood Used in the Construction of Barrels
Specifying oak that has been thoroughly and properly dried, sometimes for as long as 18-48 months, in order to enhance the natural properties of the wood which allow for better flavor and to reduce the levels of tannin imparted to the whiskey.

Photo by jmdillree

Toasting & Charring
The Barrels Made to Michter’s Specifications Are Toasted Before Charring
Toasting a barrel before charring helps to make the wood’s sugars more accessible. These sugars caramelize and concentrate to form the "red line" in the barrel stave cross-sections due to the heat, ultimately adding more flavor and color to the whiskey as it seeps through the char to the caramel red line.

Photo by j0e_m

Heat Cycling
Heat Cycle For Barrels During Their Aging
The more often whiskey expands and contracts ("cycles") soaking in and then out of the wood of the barrel, the more flavor it absorbs from the sugars in the caramelized red line of the wood. Heat cycling is an uncommon practice used to raise and lower the temperatures in the barrel warehouses to induce extra cycles within a given year. This practice is extremely costly because heat cycling significantly increases the "Angel Share" evaporation during aging, but in most cases enhances the flavor of the whiskey.

Photo by Cosmin Gurau

Chill Filter
At the distillery, they chill filter all of their whiskeys instead of using carbon filtration that can strip out flavor and aroma. Moreover, rather than use the one size fits all approach of many distillers, they use the different filtration mediums and techniques best suited to each of the individual whiskey offerings – despite it being time consuming and costly – to highlight each expression’s best qualities.

Photo by Steve took it

Unlike Bourbon or Rye, which, by definition, must be aged in new oak barrels, the US1 Unblended American Whiskey is aged in a way that utilizes whiskey-soaked barrels to achieve a rich and unique flavor profile. In late 2013, then Master Distiller Willie Pratt agreed to re-release our US1 Unblended American Whiskey after a nearly three-year absence from the market, deeming it “just right” and “the best it’s ever been.” Crucially, our US1 Unblended American Whiskey never contains grain neutral spirits – hence its “unblended” distinction.

PRODUCTION: Small batch. Limited quantities.
BOTTLING STRENGTH: 83.4 proof (41.7% Alcohol by Volume)
COOPERAGE: Whiskey-soaked American white oak barrels
TASTING NOTES: Butterscotch and vanilla, hints of caramel and dried fruit

Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is made from a carefully selected mashbill that features the highest quality American corn. It is then matured to the peak of perfection. Truly “small batch” each batch of the US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels, leaving no margin for “blending out” imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is nuanced, mellow and earthy.

PRODUCTION: Small batch. Limited quantities.
BOTTLING STRENGTH: 91.4 proof (45.7% Alcohol by Volume)
COOPERAGE: Fire-charred, new American white oak barrels
TASTING NOTES: Rich caramel and vanilla with stone fruit. Smoky with an oak finish

Renowned for rye – America’s oldest whiskey variety – since the earliest days of Michter’s history, they take the production of Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Rye extremely seriously. Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Rye is made from select American rye grain that is sheared to maximize the extraction of flavor from the grain. Ideal neat or in cocktails, every bottle comes from a single barrel – a unique attribute reflecting our extraordinary commitment to offering Kentucky Straight Rye whiskey of the absolute highest quality at every level of the Michter’s range.

PRODUCTION: Single barrel. Limited quantities.
BOTTLING STRENGTH: 84.8 proof (42.4% Alcohol by Volume)
COOPERAGE: Fire-charred, new American white oak barrels
TASTING NOTES: Spice with peppery notes, citrus, butterscotch, oak

Nick Perretta