I was very fortunately able to grab both the Michter’s 10 bourbon and rye last year and as the bottles start to dwindle it’s time to review them starting with the bourbon.
Michter’s 10 Bourbon 2020
Age: 10 years
Proof: 94.4
Price: $160
Barrel #: 20G1433
Neat
Nose: Inviting with almost no burn with strong caramel and nutty notes with some oak and vanilla notes underneath.
Taste: The nutty and caramel notes come in strong with vanilla extract ramping up as it goes and faint spice toward the end. Very much not ‘over oaked’ especially for the age. Surprisingly good mouthfeel as well.
Finish: Long and soft with a bit of oak and vanilla that quickly fades to caramel with a touch of spice.
Conclusion
What I love about Michter’s 10 bourbon and rye is how they are able to pack so much flavor into a lower proof. This barrel does not disappoint on that front and while it is incredibly drinkable with pretty much no ethanol it still has a lot of flavor and good complexity with a long finish and nice mouthfeel. The profile isn’t particularly unique but it is an excellent execution of a nutty Kentucky bourbon.
I wasn’t able to get this at exactly retail pricing but even if I had at $130 this is a bit of a hard sell on the value side of things with older, higher proof options such as Doc Swinson’s 15 and Old Bones 15 at a similar price point. On the other end of the range there are some great 11-12+ year old Elijah Craig store picks out there for a lot less money.
That said I loved the bottle and don’t regret buying it. If you aren’t particularly value sensitive and want an awesome lower proof bottle(say for working late) you can’t go wrong with Michter’s 10 Bourbon.
2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle
TL;DR: Great bottle. Tricky value proposition.
Scale
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