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Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Rye 2026 Review

Can a rye whiskey actually win over people who don't like rye? Discover why Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel, with its smooth, bourbon-friendly character, does just that.

OVERALL RATING

9
$210
  • Jeff Bogursky, innovator turned wine seller, runs vintagekosher.com for rare bottles.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Although Michter’s can claim a storied history going back to Pennsylvania in 1753, the modern Michter’s was revived in Kentucky by Joseph J. Magliocco and his partners in the 1990s. Unlike many American ryes that use the classic 95% rye mash bill, Michter’s makes what it calls a Kentucky-style rye. That means more corn, more malted barley, and less rye. Makes it a smoother, richer, sweeter, and just more bourbon-friendly quaff. That’s why Michter’s, along with a few other brands, produces an excellent rye for people who don’t really like rye. Single barrel, 10-year minimum in new charred American white oak.
Appearance:
Reddish brown
Nose:
Sweet bourbon nose with a note of something different, more floral. Butter frying in the pan.
Palate:
Dark sweetness redolent of molasses, with a light vanilla lilt as it vaporizes on the tongue. Cinnamon, nutmeg, crisp apple, yellow bell pepper, a bit of red hot candy. Moderate fire, tempered by the sweetness. This is a mostly tame rye, tempered by depth, oak, time, and flavor.
Finish:
Medium length. Coming out of the big reverse funnel of flavor, it mellows and then dries off your tongue. Sweetness lingers in the back of the throat.
Comments:
Michter’s puts out a steady fine line of products, and the 10-year rye is a huge part. Prized by collectors and sipped by as many of them, the 10 yr rye is not hot, spicy, or as complex as the rye whiskeys I usually drink and prefer. But, considering its modest 46.4% ABV and the fact that it’s sat in oak for 10 years in Kentucky, it’s a pretty remarkable bottle. Brilliant use of casks by Maturation Master Andrea Wilson. Oak for sure, but no overwhelming tannin grip on the mouth.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Jeff Bogursky

Jeff Bogursky is a restless innovator and entrepreneur. He started one of New York’s first digital agencies and developed software applications for decades, before simpliying his life by becoming a wine and spirits seller. His website vintagekosher.com specializes in hard to find and good to drink bottles.

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