Michter’s Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon (2018)

A little background

Originally released in 2014 and 2015 the Michter’s Toasted Barrel Finished Bourbon developed quite a following of drinkers that were left without another release for three years when the 2018 version was released at 91.4⁰.  The Toasted Barrel Bourbon starts as Michter’s US-1 bourbon that is then aged in barrels made of 18-month air-dried wood and toasted instead of charred.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn as a blind sample.)

Color in the glass:

Light Amber with hints of bright Orange

Nose

Fruit heavy with golden raisins, peaches, apples, and honeydew.  Underlying honey and vanilla with caramel showing up after several minutes in the glass.

Palate

I get the honeydew from the nose up front with milk chocolate and baking spices coming in as the whiskey saturates the palate.

Finish

The finish is on the shorter side with the baking spices and stewed fruit dominating.  There is a flash of oak before fading away.

In closing

I thought this was a decent but not a spectacular pour.  When tasting blind, I kept thinking this was going to end up being an Old Forester Single Barrel Selection.  Which makes sense because it is believed that many of the Michter’s products on the shelf today were contract distilled by Brown-Forman.  So, my advice to those finding the search for a bottle of this to be in vain is to pick up a bottle of Old Forester Single Barrel Select from a reputable store.