MICHTER’S BARREL STRENGTH RYE
Barrel No. 22B683 (2022)MASH BILL – Unstated
PROOF – 108.6
AGE – NAS
DISTILLERY – Michter’s Distillery
PRICE – $114
WORTH BUYING? – Yes and no, but I’ll enjoy this bottle…
Uncorked and tasted in The Year of No Buying (The what? 🔗 here.)
My journey with Michter’s eventually landed in one spot—the annual Barrel Strength Single Barrel Rye. But as their already top-shelf prices continue to press against the ceiling, it’s possible my Michter’s tour might end with this bottle currently on the table.
From the 10 Year Bourbon and Rye, to the Toasted Barrel Rye, to that odd pair Shenk’s and Bomberger’s, what I’ve found consistently disappointing about Michter’s whiskeys is how good most of them have tasted to me, and yet how forgettable I’ve found them to be. The color is inevitably gorgeous. The nose will leap from the glass. And the taste tends to make good on the promise of the nose. But then the finish either fades out quickly or lingers but lightly and without significance. I eventually concluded that it’s this tendency of the finish that accounts for why I don’t find Michter’s whiskeys memorable. Whatever the explanation, if I’m going to pay Michter’s prices then I want a memorable experience.
I’d nearly given up on Michter’s, until I tried a 2019 release of the Barrel Strength Rye. It was the first Michter’s whiskey I’d had that offered a long, strong, lingering finish, and I really enjoyed it. I was quite surprised. So when I spotted this 2022 release on a shelf, even though the price had predictably crept up just another bit, I nabbed it. Might lightning strike twice?
And now here we are, just over four weeks after uncorking and four pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using both Canadian and traditional Glencairns.
COLOR – rusty russet oranges with brass and honey highlights
NOSE – rye and cinnamon spices nicely blended, black pepper dashed on sweet caramel, a squeeze of lemon juice, vanilla, milk chocolate, and if there’s such a thing as oak fudge I’m gettin’ that too
TASTE – As I’ve come to expect from Michter’s the taste is very true to the nose, with dry oak and rye notes nicely balanced against a wash of rich caramel, vanilla, and milk chocolate
FINISH – The sweeter notes fade first, leaving the rye, oak, cinnamon, and black pepper to linger warmly and on a long, gentle, slow fade…
OVERALL – Not as impressive as my sense-memory of the 2019 SiB I enjoyed, but still a quality rye with a solid enough finish to linger in the memory
It’s good stuff. No doubt. There’s a medium syrupy texture to it that’s just sticky enough on the taste to highlight the sweeter notes, making the caramel almost fruity.
The finish then dries out faster than I’d prefer. But the dry notes it does linger on are pleasing, very oaky without going too tannic or bitter.
In the traditional Glencairn it comes off a bit brighter, with an accent on the sweeter notes. I enjoy it more in the Canadian Glencairn, I’d say, where the wider bowl allows the nose to envelope my senses as I go in for a sip. The nose and taste are darker in the Canadian Glencairn, a touch drier, yet more complex overall.
All in all, a genuinely good cask strength rye whiskey. At 108.6 proof it has enough oomph to lift the flavors without searing things. The range of flavors are complex and clear. It’s a flavor profile I appreciate, and certainly enjoy, yet somehow just don’t get excited about. Despite the nice finish on this, it remains a perfectly great experience that’s easy to let go.
I will certainly enjoy this bottle. No question. But then I do think my investment in Michter’$ will have closed. In 2022 I paid $114 for this bottle. I know this year at the same shop I’d pay another $40 on top of that, at least. There are other ryes I like equally or more for which I’d rather pay such prices—if I’m gonna pay such prices at all. Any whiskey that crosses the $100 line has got to be really good. And give us an age statement at least, am I right?
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 