Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey Review (2024)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

The Whiskey Reviewer could be said to have a love affair with Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye. Deputy Editor Kurt Maitland was pointing at it when he coined his rule that “stronger whiskey is usually better whiskey.” Senior contributor and all-around rye guy Scott Peters is enamored, and I’m more than fond of the expression myself. It’s been two years since Michter’s last released this much-adored whiskey, so of course it demands covering.

This Michter’s expression typically clocks in at a comparatively low alcohol content for a cask strength whiskey. This installment is 55.1% ABV (110.2 proof), and the line as a whole tends to sit in the middle-to-lower 50s. Most of the big names in cask strength whiskeys are north of 60% as a matter of routine. This distinction stems from Micther’s low entry proof (the strength at which the new make whiskey enters the barrel) of 103. That choice is not economical, but it known to improve the maturation chemistry and produce a better whiskey.

The exact mash bill is unknown, but this is known to be a Kentucky style rye: the rye content, while in the legal majority of 51%+, is not much higher than than legal minimum. That makes it a “high corn” rye, usually making such ryes sweeter. Also, there isn’t an age statement.

The Whiskey
The nose leads with its spice blend: clove, ginger, allspice. Sitting in the background is the candy corn sweetness, served on a small platter of green oak. The palate turns away from the ginger cookie spice blend and towards more herbal territory. Sometimes these things are have quite a strong dill note, but this rye presents you with a bundle of spearmint and sage. The sweet side turns into bourbon territory now, with brown sugar and caramel, but this is still clearly in the back seat with the continuing green oak and a new earthy cocoa note. The finish runs light, balancing earthy chocolate against that marginally astringent green oak that has been omni-present throughout.

Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson have done it again. Sometimes this expression is great (A-) and sometimes very good (B+), and this one is very good. I don’t always agree with Maitland’s aforementioned maxim, but it is certainly the case here: even at just “very good,” the barrel strength version is a mile beyond Michter’s standard rye, as well as most ryes in regular or irregular release.

In baseball terms, it hits a triple. A bottle should be a must-have for rye diehards.

The Price
This bottle is officially pegged at $110. However, it is in irregular release, making it harder to get on those years when nothing new is shipped. Expect mark-ups, peaking at around double the recommended price.