One of Louisville’s best whiskey distilleries celebrates a decade of toasted barrel-finished bourbon.
When they launched their debut offering of their US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon in 2014, the beloved Louisville whiskey makers Michter’s unknowingly invented the toasted barrel-finish category. Now, celebrating its decade anniversary, the 2024 edition hits shelves.
As the name suggests, what makes this core portfolio expression from Michter’s special is obviously the wood it rests in: Special barrels were air-dried for a year and a half in the varied Kentucky climate and then toasted to precise specifications—but never charred.
The group’s braintrust—which includes Master Distiller Dan McKee, Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson and President Joseph J. Magliocco, among others—then pours into those barrels their beloved US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, already fully matured in fire-charred new American oak.
“While we use traditional Kentucky whiskey production methods at Michter’s, our team is always experimenting,” Magliocco tells Maxim. “In 2014, we had the idea to see what a fully matured bourbon would taste like after time in a second barrel that had been toasted but not charred.
“The first time we tasted it, we were very excited by the enhanced sweetness, the deepened complexity, and the campfire experience that the toasted barrel finishing gave the whiskey,” Magliocco adds. “The 2024 release of our US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon continues this style with a note of toasted burnt orange atop crème brûlée.”
It’s just another feather in the cap of the proudly Kentucky label, who this year the earned “World’s Most Admired Whisky” distinction by the widely respected UK-based publication Drinks International, making Michter’s the first American brand to ever earn that distinction.
When asked exactly how much time the US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish spends in the second barrel, Michter’s esteemed president concedes it is somewhat of a trade secret. Employing the brand’s overarching philosophy of only releasing a whiskey when it’s ready, he explains the maturation time varies from year-to-year depending on multiple variables, including Wilson’s assessment of both that bourbon and the particular toast she chose for that year.
“It’s a testament to our team that so many other great distillers have followed us in releasing toasted barrel finish whiskeys,” notes Wilson, the proud Master Of Maturation.
“This year’s Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon reminds me of a fall evening where we are roasting campfire treats with graham crackers, marshmallows, caramel and butterscotch.”
Other wisps that come to mind include a bit of baking spices, smoke and even cherry to Michter’s signature bourbon vanilla. Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon 2024 just went on sale nationwide, bottled at 45.7% (91.4 proof) with an SRP of $110.
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
