Michter's Distillery

Reborn in 1997 after closing in 1990, Michter’s moved from Pennsylvania to Shively in Louisville, Kentucky, an area famed for its whiskey history. They trace their heritage back to 1753 with the foundation of America’s first whiskey distillery, which is proudly recalled in the US★1 name of their core range. Blending science and art, Michter’s invest in costlier processes and ingredients in pursuit of making the best American whiskey.

Each of their whiskies has a custom filtration protocol to best highlight its expression, and are either single barrel or batched at no more than twenty barrels. US grown non-GMO, USDA Grade-1 corn, rye, and six-row barley are used in their mashes, which is tested in their own lab upon delivery to ensure it meets standards. They also screen their distillate using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, and a team of sensory panellists before barrelling.

Milling, mashing, fermenting, and distilling are all done onsite, with two custom cage mills, mash cooker, six fermenters, two small pot stills, and a 100% copper 46-foot-tall column still with a 250-gallon doubler. Maturation is done in Kentucky rickhouses, which are heat cycled to maximise flavour extraction, using barrels made from air dried oak (18-60 months), to reduce astringency, and toasted before charring for better caramelisation. Barrelling is done at 51.5% ABV, significantly lower than the allowed 62.5%, yielding less bottles per barrel, but superior smoothness and richer flavour.