As we know at Honest Booze Reviews the cardinal sin is to outright lie, or to in some way deceive. This is why we hate it when a smell gives us such hope for a taste that is lacking. It’s why when a vodka claims to be ‘elegantly smooth’ but burns like acid that we feel cheated. We understand why it happens, because for a lot of people their booze buying comes into either A. Go with what you know from some friend/family. B. Be adventurous and try something random/on sale. Often in those cases the decision to try something new can come down to things like what it says on the back, the overall look, and things like years.
It’s not true for those of the HBR family, and I hope to our readers. We don’t give a shit if you are someone who started doing whiskey 2 years ago, and you’re not going off some ancient recipe or crystal clean ingredients. If your stuff is good, it’s good. Sorry for going on a bit, but it’s relevant to this whiskey. Because this looks like it’s some authentic thing, ticking all the right boxes. Behind the scenes though it was an actually distillery that fell into major disrepair, was called something else, and had been undergoing issues since it was sold in 2011, and since 2014 has been making small batches from other distilleries. Yet if you read their little card they make no mention of this, making it seem like it’s the same thing that came out of the vats in 1753. Just be honest, claim a rebirth, or that even in disrepair you are soldiering on. You can spin the truth, but you can’t re-write it.
What they Say: “We are proud to offer you our Small Batch Bourbon. In the Michter’s tradition hailing from America’s first whiskey distilling company, this bourbon is made from a proprietary mashbill that features the highest quality American corn and is then matured to the peak of perfection. It is then mellowed by our signature filtration.
The Michter’s legacy traces back to America’s first whiskey distilling company established in 1753. Over the years Michter’s has earned praise from whiskey lovers as well as acclaim from writers for its exceptional small production Bourbons, American Whiskeys, and Ryes. Michter’s Small Batch spirits show that specialty whiskey making is alive and well and as good as it gets. Thank you for trying our uniquely flavorful whiskeys. Enjoy!
Taste: 6.0 – A bit of smoke and sweet, I quite like the taste despite it being short.
Aftertaste: 4.0 –It’s only about 11 proof higher but this feels hot, and that hot bourbon taste is what keeps with you. I’m not a huge fan of it, and I wish more of the smokey and sweetness stayed through
Burn/Smooth: 7.0 – It burns a little, but the warmth is very prevalent – this is a whiskey to drink in the winter and warm the cockles as that heat and warmth of taste and burn linger on.
Aroma: 5.0 – It smells a bit sweet and not as imposing or fragrant a smell as I was hoping for. Pass I guess.
Honesty: 5.5 – I want to mention the bottle only had the first paragraph in the “What they say” and the 2nd paragraph comes from a small paper thing that came on the handle. I sort of wish it hadn’t as the simple description gets a bit less wanky, and I therefore have to take off some points. Thankfully the bottle, cork, logo, and overall look are perfect, and the hot proof helps it here, but again there’s so much deceit.
Mixability: 5.0
W/ Rocks: 5.0 – I actually added a 2nd cube and let it sit more, but no the result is the same. That has managed to only make the drink colder. Objectively that makes it better, but still.
Whiskey and Coke: 5.0 – Somehow even coke barely does much – like this whiskey or not I will make sure you know it’s there. This does however cut some of the heat which is a balm to me.
Value: 3.0 – I bought this actually for almost a 10 dollar difference ($28) in a place that carries many small batch bourbons – and I feel this was done deliberately to appeal to those too cheap to pony up. (I do every so often, but hey not like anyone is paying me for this site since we keep scaring them off.) It is not worth this price though.
Google Shop Average: $38
Website: http://www.michters.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.0
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Metric Score: 35.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.07 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.0
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Final Thoughts: With every word I write about my disappointment with this, my dislike of it grows stronger. I know that it’s supposedly a ‘millennial’ thing to go for things that feel authentic (sadly regardless of the truth). However the whole crux of this site is that we tell you how it easy, because we don’t care about making money, or praise from a community, or making friends with the people who make the elixir’s we drink. While we wish more companies felt the same, maybe that’s why we’re no BeerAdvocate or RateWine. As for this, if you want a bourbon that feels hot, and will not be swayed from that taste – sure.
