The Michter’s brand has had a storied history. Though not always called Michter’s (it also has gone by the names Bomberger’s, and Pennco at different times), the brand was created in 1753 in Pennsylvania, was the top-selling whiskey in the 1970s and 1980s, went bankrupt in 1989, and then was revived in the 1990s. Michter’s Original Sour Mash was one of the most popular whiskeys decades ago, yet after the company went bankrupt, the brand line curiously wasn’t revived at the same time the company was, waiting until 2012 for it to resurface. In 2019, the company opened their own distilling facilities in the historic 1890 Fort Nelson building in downtown Louisville after an 8 year, $8 million renovation of the decrepit building.
The term “sour mash” on Michter’s US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey’s label refers to the process in which some of the fermented mash is held over from one batch of whiskey to start the fermentation on the next batch. A cost saving and consistency measure that is also said to make the whiskey sweeter and more complex, but also not uncommon, as majority whiskeys and bourbons are made using this process. Michter’s US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey is labeled a whiskey instead of a bourbon because according to the company, “the mashbill has a fair amount of rye grain in addition to a fair amount of corn and some barley malt.” This likely means the whiskey has less than 51% corn in its mashbill, the minimum required for it to be called bourbon. Michter’s US*1 Original Sour Mash Whiskey is also filtered.
The bottle in review’s batch no is 224159.
