The fall of the year always makes me think of caramel apples, baking spices and falling leaves. Maybe that is why we picked the 2022 release of the Michter’s Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey as our whiskey of the month. It reminds me of fall in a glass. The Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey is not a Bourbon – there is not enough corn in the mash bill. Nor is there enough rye in the mash bill to be a rye whiskey. It is simply a whiskey made with the sour mash process – as most American whiskeys are, so they called it “Sour Mash Whiskey”. This is Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey that has been fully aged in new cooperage and then finished in a barrel that was toasted, but not charred. Matt and I picked this whiskey over a couple of other really good whiskeys that we tasted this month and here are our tasting notes.
Michter’s Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey
Proof: 86
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar, baking spices and sweet oak wood.
- Matt: A caramel apple, nutmeg, cinnamon and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Lots of caramel and apples with baking spices – nutmeg and allspice, and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the apple comes to the forefront but the caramel and spice is still there in the background. Tasted with a pecan and the caramel is enhanced and a dark chocolate note comes out to join the party.
- Matt: Caramel apples with nutmeg and toasted pine nuts. The dried cranberry added notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. The pecan added some dried fruit note of raisins and dates with cinnamon.
Finish:
- Mike: Long and sweet with oak wood and caramel. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter but added some lingering apple flavor. The pecan made the finish very long with lots of sweet oak wood, chocolate and caramel
- Matt: Long with oak wood and toasted pine nuts. The dried cranberry made the finish buttery with oak, dried fruits and toasted pine nuts. The pecan made the finish very long with lots of oak, dried fruit, brown sugar and a hint of spice.
I would pair this fine whiskey with a Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar with a Maduro wrapper. The rich vanilla and chocolate flavors in the smoke would pair well with the sweetness of the whiskey and the hint of cedar spiciness would bring out the spice notes of the whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller