Michter’s 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey Review (2026)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

I put Michter’s 10 year Old Single Barrel Rye in the same class as expressions like W.L. Weller 12 Year Old, the famed “Baby Pappy,” in terms of being an annualized limited edition of a certain high, consistent quality, scarce availability and general price point. The market value for W.L. Weller 12 Year Old has fallen in the last couple of years from about $300 down to $240; for Michter’s 10 Year Old Rye, you can get it for $240 from online retailers, sure, but the market average has held steady at about $300.

By “market value,” I mean the marked up price charged by retailers. In forums, blogs and even journalistic articles, this pricing is referred to incorrectly as the “secondary market,” and frankly the journalists and at least some of those bloggers ought to know better. The secondary market would be better referred to as the Black Market, since it is the illegal trade in liquor by parties who lack the appropriate licensing. That has nothing to do with a seller that has a liquor license, and very often a brick and mortar store to go with it.

That Michter’s 10 Year Old Rye has held onto that market value, while some of its peers have fallen, is an interesting outcome, one that surprised me when I discovered it. I make no secret of how much I favor the Michter’s 10 Year Old Rye, but whenever I’ve said I love it more than Weller 12 and other fan favorites, I get strange looks. But the one data point suggests that perhaps my opinion is more widely shared than I knew.

The Whiskey
The coloring of this whiskey has held steady over the years, at bright bronze. As always, the expression is bottled at 92.4 proof.

The nose this year led with the expected baking spices and vanilla drizzle, and underneath was an earthy note that left me thinking either nougat or toffee. The spicy side grows on the sip from sweet and minty to herbal and peppery, taking on a woody aspect along the way, with the earthy note turning musty. Yet the vanilla hangs on throughout, which is a good thing because that is what holds the balance in place. The finish is dry and spicy in the main, but with just enough of a nutty touch to maintain the sense of a whiskey with character.

The Price
The MSRP on this bottle is $210. As previously mentioned, you can find it at that price point or not far from it, but consider yourself just a little lucky if you do so. My market value is an average, so there are retailers charging well above $300.