First Impressions
Michter's US*1 Small Batch is the brand's gateway bourbon, but it drinks like something far more considered. Bottled at 45.7% ABV from small batches of no more than around two dozen barrels, it's been a sleeper hit on the bourbon back-bar for years.
Distillery & Heritage
Michter's traces its lineage to a Pennsylvania distillery dating to the 18th century, but the modern incarnation is firmly Kentucky. Master Distiller Dan McKee and the late Willie Pratt — known as 'Dr No' for refusing to bottle anything not ready — built a reputation on patience. Michter's famously toasts barrels before charring and enters spirit at a lower-than-industry-standard barrel proof, both intended to coax richer flavour with less oak aggression.
Tasting Notes in Detail
The nose is classic Kentucky: caramel and vanilla up front, then a rounder fruitiness — peach, apricot, baked apple. The palate carries that creamy weight Michter's is known for, with butterscotch, brown sugar and a flicker of cinnamon-rye spice. The finish is medium-long, drying just enough on oak and cocoa to leave you reaching for the glass again.
Verdict
Few mid-priced bourbons feel this polished. Michter's US*1 Small Batch is the bottle bartenders quietly keep for themselves — and for good reason.
