Michter's 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon

The 20 year old bourbon by Michter’s is very hard to find and if you are that lucky, it is absolutely not cheap (in 2016, it took the 10th sport in the USA’s most expensive bourbons, with Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash in the top spot with a price tag of nearly 4.000 dollars!). But that is not a big surprise: the bourbon matured for 20 years, something you do not see every day. So this one was distilled in the early days of the distillery – last century’s 90s. It is bottled at 114.2 Proof, which is not for the faint hearted either.

The nose is very creamy and sweet. A wonderful stew of oranges, caramel, cherries, plums and a bit of rhubarb. Very nice. You do get a bit of alcohol in the nose – no surprise there – as well as a touch of wood, that is bittersweet from the charring. Add some chocolate and roasted cashew nuts. But the aromas do keep this nose silky soft.

It is mildly oily and at first offers mostly spiciness in the guise of baker’s spices, nutmeg, saffron and a pinch of cinnamon. But instead of fading, they linger constantly, making it quite hard for the sweetness to shine through. But it succeeds just fine. I get some touches of honey, vanilla, citrus and candied oranges. All in all this remains a soft bourbon that, despite the high ABV, does not need water.

The finish is long, a touch drying and bittersweet. At the death I get some leather and cedar wood.

Outstanding bourbon, but by now simply unaffordable, which is a pity. One of the best bourbons I have had the change to try. Thanks to PROOF for the sample.