Roughly 15 years ago, bourbon collecting consumed too much of my life (and money). Like many bourbon fanatics, I hustled to try and buy anything of note. I always made a point to check out multiple random liquor stores whenever I found myself in a new town, hoping to score an overlooked dusty or a limited new release. That’s how I landed my first bottle of Mitcher’s 10 Year Old Bourbon in 2012, and it remains one of the most delicious whiskeys I’ve ever discovered on a shelf.
That’s not exactly a hot take. Plenty of bourbon reviewers and media outlets have also loved the label’s offerings, especially the 10 year old bourbon.
However, many in the whiskey collecting community remained cautious of the label, especially in the early 2000s. And rightfully so. The brand’s muddled past and the mysterious provenance of its whiskeys were a lot to unpack.
The complicated backstory of Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon
While the whiskey’s origins trace back to 1753, the original Pennsylvania distillery known for making it shuttered its doors in 1990 and remained defunct for years after.
In 1997, an entrepreneur acquired the brand’s trademark, and soon the Michter’s label appeared again on 10-year-old rye and 10-year-old bourbon bottles, filled with whiskey purchased in bulk from other distillers.
A few years later, the brand officially became a non-distilling producer, or NDP in bourbon speak, meaning the brand’s whiskey began being made by another undisclosed distiller based on Michter’s specifications. While not uncommon in the bourbon world, especially during the spirit’s surge in popularity starting in the late 90s, the practice “carries baggage with many bourbon enthusiasts and their position is understandable,” as I wrote back in 2014. I added, “it’s not unreasonable to want to know exactly what you’re paying for.”
