“While we use time-tested, traditional Kentucky methods to make Michter’s, our production team is always experimenting and always searching for innovations,” Joe Magliocco reveals to Maxim. Honored to have the time of the always busy Michter’s Distillery President, we asked him as craft whiskey-makers built on a strong foundation of tradition, how they balance that dedication with still finding ways to innovate. In this case, with the Louisville-based distillery’s newest use of their ‘Toasted Barrel Finish’ process: Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash.
“When we got the idea in 2014 to finish Michter’s US*1 Bourbon in a second barrel that had been toasted but not charred, and when we coined the phrase “Toasted Barrel Finish” we had no idea that it would be the start of a new category,” Magliocco adds. “Over time we saw that finishing in a second, toasted but not charred barrel introduced wonderful flavor components not just to our bourbon but to our Barrel Strength Rye and to our Sour Mash Whiskey as well. It’s very exciting for us to see people enjoying the toasted barrel finish whiskeys that are now on the market.”
The concept is simple, but offered explosive results. As mentioned above, it was in 2014 that Michter’s first thought of using these innovative barrels as a second finish on their award-winning bourbon. Credited with being the first American whiskey to use this toasted barrel finish technique, the Michter’s team first preps the wood by air-drying the staves for 18 to 24 months, or even longer for some releases. While more expensive and time-consuming than kiln-drying, this air-drying reduces astringent compounds in the wood, resulting in a smoother flavor. They are then toasted using a specific, proprietary heat profile.
But they are never charred like most barrels; charring involves an intense, high-temperature flame licking the wood, while toasting uses a more gentle heat over a longer period. This patient process caramelizes the wood sugars and breaks down flavor compounds, bringing them to the surface, amplifying the secondary barrel’s effect on the already mature whiskey poured in.
Michter’s followed up their US*1 Bourbon Toasted Barrel Finish with applying the unique finish to their Rye in 2017, and now for 2025 introduce that treatment to their lesser known but also award-winning Sour Mash expression. A worthy candidate, given their original Sour Mash was the first American whiskey to ever be named ‘Whisky of the Year’ by The Whisky Exchange (it also scored a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition).
While Michter’s does not disclose the exact mash bill of their Sour Mash, since it is not labeled a ‘bourbon’ we can infer that the recipe does not satisfy the 51% corn requirement, nor 51% rye since it does not fall under their ‘rye’ umbrella. The rest is anyone’s guess.
“The [toasting] process itself allows for the different compounds present in the wood to be extracted at different levels,” Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee shares with us, noting how it was Michter’s former Master Distiller Willie Pratt who led the first toasted barrel research in 2014. The exact heat/toasting profile for the barrels is not the same for every Toasted Barrel Finish expression, however. For this one, in which Michter’s popular Sour Mash whiskey was poured, had its own toasting recipe.
“There are almost an infinite number of toast profiles that one can try, and each one will yield a different result when used in a toasted-only barrel to finish a whiskey,” McKee continues. “When we decide what toasted-only barrel to use, our production team strives to find the specific toast profile best-suited to the particular whiskey that we are finishing. In the case of our Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash, burnt sugar as well as spice notes with smoky vanilla come to the forefront.” These flavors compliment and magnify the original Sour Mash’s notes of caramel and marshmallow which brought it so much acclaim.
The limited release Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash comes bottled 43-percent ABV (86 proof), with a SRP of $110. If you can find a bottle, score it quick.
Follow our Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
