Whiskey Michter's US ★ 1 Barrel Strength Rye

Since the 1990’s, the Michter’s team has been doing pioneering work to re-establish the high quality American Rye whiskey category. The May 2015 inaugural release of Michter’s US★1 Barrel Strength Rye marked yet another milestone in that quest. For maturation, the Rye distillate is entered into the barrel at 103 proof, rather than a more industry standard higher proof. Barrel entry at a lower proof of 103 rather than a higher proof costs Michter’s more money in terms of barrels and warehousing, but we believe it yields a richer, smoother, more full-bodied whiskey after proper maturation. A single barrel product, each barrel of Michter’s US★1 Barrel Strength Rye is bottled at its particular alcohol level at the time of bottling. To savor it is a unique experience for anyone who enjoys rye whiskey.

Butterscotch, cinnamon, and a hint of cherries in the aroma. Warm, rich, toasty vanilla and caramel flavors, with a dry, oaky spice finish.

Originally known as Shenk's and later as Bomberger's, the whiskey company which ultimately became known as Michter's was founded by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer, in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753. In its earliest days, Shenk's produced whiskey from rye grain, a favorite local crop in the Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Valley where the distillery was located.

According to Pennsylvania historical lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, this particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington visited the distillery and purchased whiskey to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Over 200 years later the Michter's Pennsylvania management would say Michter's was "the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution."

In the mid-1800s, Pennsylvania Dutchman Abraham Bomberger purchased the distillery and it became known for many decades as Bomberger's.