Is Michter’s US 1 a Revolutionary bourbon?
Distilleries are always looking for ways to connect themselves to whiskey history. It’s a great way to build a brand and a great way to sell some whiskey. Sometimes these grand historical connections are accurate and sometimes they’re, well, less so. One of the biggest alleged connections is between Michter’s Whiskey and George Washington.
As the story goes, in the middle 1700s in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, two brothers named John and Michael Shenk opened up the first distillery in the United States. The brothers had a ton of corn, rye, and barley hanging around and only one idea for how to use it – whiskey. As Revolutionary War soldiers marched through Pennsylvania, the Shenk brothers did their part for the war effort by supplying the soldiers with plenty of whiskey. That part is certainly true. The speculation is around George Washington. Allegedly, while on his way to Valley Forge, George Washington stopped in to buy plenty of whiskey for his troops.
Despite the possible brush with fame, a century later the Shenk Distillery was sold and renamed the Bomberger Distillery. It was operated by Abe Bomberger until it closed under Prohibition and then proceeded to change hands after it was repealed. It wasn’t until 1975 that a man named Lou Forman purchased the business, renamed it to Michter’s, and unfortunately had to close by 1990. Finally, and we do mean finally, in the mid-1990s Chatham Imports purchased the brand for a measly $245. By 2007 Michter’s Bourbon was on the market.
It’s highly unlikely that the modern day Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon has anything in common with its Shenk predecessor. (If anything, Michter’s Rye might be a bit closer). But hopefully Washington would still approve. It’s a small batch bourbon, which the distillery proudly claims is a “true” small batch with no more than twenty full barrels per batch. The nose of this bourbon is rich in vanilla, dry, smoky oak, and sweet corn that moves to a dry oak flavor. On the top of the palate are plenty of fruity notes like pear, apricot, and a bit of citrus. The sip is smooth and rounded before giving way to a long finish that displays even more of that charred oak flavor.
At the usual price of $50 – $55 per bottle, Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon isn’t going to be a budget bourbon for most of us. But if you’re looking for a bit of a splurge, you can’t go wrong here. Michter’s bourbon is a great, neat sipper that can also hold its own in a classic cocktail like an Old Fashioned. So the next time you’re feeling patriotic, you can always pick up a bottle of a (kind of, sort of) George Washington approved bourbon.
STATS: Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
- Price for us: $55 for 750 mL
- Proof: 91.4
- Aged: NAS
- Distillery: Michter’s Distillery, owned by Chatham Imports
- Recommendation: Neat
