Vanguard Luxury Brands has announced that it has expanded the range of popular Michter's American bourbon with the brand’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon.
The distribution company has also restocked the popular Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye whiskey, in strictly limited quantities.
Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon (aka toasted bourbon) is different to others due to the fact that the spirit is finished in a second barrel for three to four weeks. The secondary aging barrels have been toasted but not charred – charring barrels is customary in bourbon production. Tested constantly to prevent it from becoming too “woody”, the toasted bourbon has a nuttier flavour with notes of marshmallow and a campfire smokiness.
“This is the first time we have seen this product in Australia and it is truly remarkable”, says James France, from Vanguard. “The time spent in the toasted-only barrel yields magnificent results.”
Conversely the Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye is a Kentucky Straight Rye, which is bottled at barrel strength, with the Australian allotment yielding bottles with 54 per cent alcohol by volume. Michter's believes this yields a richer, smoother product with butterscotch and cinnamon and a hint of cherries featuring on the nose, and a dry oaky spice on the finish.
"Whenever we would sample right out of the US*1 Rye barrels, we loved the whiskey. We thought that our loyal US*1 Single Barrel Rye customers would enjoy tasting some at barrel strength," says Michter's president, Joseph J. Magliocco.
According to France, Vanguard only has a small allocation of both spirits and they don’t expect any more to be available until mid-2016 at the earliest.