2025 Michter's 10 Year Rye Review: Beholding the Balance of Barrel 25E1658
- Nick Anderson
- Aug 17
- 7 min read
“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”
- Rumi
First hitting the market in the early 2000s, thanks to some bottling line help from Julian Van Winkle III, perhaps no ultra-aged Kentucky straight rye whiskey has seen such remarkable evolution as Michter's 10 year rye. This label, now 25+ years into the grand rebirth of the Michter's brand, continues to top charts and win hearts.
While it's nearly impossible to tell the whole history of Michter's on one webpage, the pertinent detail to modern drinkers is understanding where we are on the three-phase timeline that Joe Magliocco put together as the guiding principle for the Michter's brand. Traditionally tight-lipped about the intricate details of their production methods, I reached out to the team to get some clarity here, specifically wondering when, if ever, the 10 year expression will be made from Michter's Shively distillate.
Tess Driscoll, marketing manager for Michter's, set the record straight on the game plan:
Phase 1 - We sourced Kentucky Straight Rye and Kentucky Straight Bourbon of a style that we really liked and hoped to eventually emulate ourselves. We had nothing to do with the production of this Phase 1 whiskey.
Phase 2 - We couldn't yet afford our own distillery, so we went to a Kentucky distillery with excess capacity and produced there with our recipes (yeast, mashbills, our entry proof, etc.). As a condition of working there, we were not allowed to identify them. While we were technically a non-distiller producer because we did not own the physical facility, we were like a chef doing his own cooking in someone else’s restaurant kitchen before he could afford his own.
Phase 3 - At this stage, we had the financial resources and built our own distillery in the Shively section of Louisville. Michter’s Shively Distillery opened in 2012 with whiskey filtration, bottling, and test distillation. During the year 2015 at Michter’s Shively Distillery, we began barreling distillate produced on our full scale, all copper column to pot still doubler distillation system crafted by Vendome Copper and Brass Works.
So it would stand to reason that with barrels being filled in 2015, we might be firmly planted in phase 3—full-scale Michter's Shively production. The back of the bottle and the longstanding notion that Joe always leads with quality first would disagree with that dream. It seems that as of 2025, Michter's distillate isn't quite ready for the 10 year limelight. It's been well documented in many of my prior reviews that this label typically features whiskeys aged longer than 10 years, so I wouldn't expect the contents to be Michter's distillate until at least 2027. When it does show up, I anticipate it will be announced clearly, broadly, and proudly. So to answer the burning question in the room: the 2025 Michter's 10 year rye is still sourced/contract-distilled, at least for now.
"Throughout all three phases, our philosophy has maintained that not every barrel matures on the same timeline. Rather than release a whiskey at a specific age, we release individual barrels when our Master Distiller Dan McKee and our Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson deem them ready. As a result, Michter's 10 Year Rye is typically older than the age statement on the label. Although we began barreling our Michter's Shively distillate in 2015, we have not yet bottled any Michter's 10 Year Rye distilled in Shively, but we look forward to bottling it once it reaches our high-quality standards."
Regardless of phase or tumultuous production handling changes, one vision has remained constant through the years: consistency. While flavor profiles can vary year to year, especially as we see the brand continue to cross into new production phases, the team is putting in immense effort to ensure a specific calendar year release will be enjoyable for everyone, despite being a single barrel product. This stems from the small batch production methods and careful filtration that I got to see firsthand at Michter's Shively with Master Distiller Dan McKee and fellow science nerd Katherine O'Nan.
"Because all our releases at Michter's are very small batch (our batching tanks have been intentionally sized to hold no more than the contents of 20 full barrels) or single barrel, we take extraordinary steps during aging to help our barrels mature in a similar manner throughout our warehouses. We monitor humidity and airflow in our temperature-controlled warehouses, none of which are higher than four floors. While every barrel of Michter's 10 Year Rye may not be identical, we have been able to achieve a consistent flavor profile."
The nuance that Tess captures here is subtle but powerful and often completely overlooked in the modern era of whiskey reviews. Far too often I see write-ups talking broadly about a specific year's release, as one might do for wine vintages. This has always been a single barrel expression, so just dishing out the year isn't going to cut it for the serious whiskey enthusiast. If you're going to properly describe the whiskey, you have to list the barrel number. Despite this universally understood variation in whiskey maturation, it is heartwarming to see the care that has gone into making the experience as consistent as possible for those who put their trust in thorough whiskey reviewers like us. That's the beauty in seeking balance—without being able to blend in a quantity that will satiate the thirsty hoard that is yearning for more Michter's 10 year rye, the team continues to stay true to their time-tested practices of long open-air seasoning durations, low barrel entry proof, and putting quality over quantity. That's the simple recipe for how Michter's has pulled off the impossible, taking single barrel mainstream. Where once there was exclusivity, now we find balance.
Company on Label: Bottled by Michter's Distillery LLC
Whiskey Type: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed
Proof: 92.8°
Age: 10 years (though likely older)
MSRP: $210
Further identification: Barrel 25E1658 was bottled in May of 2025
Nose: The glass leads soft and sweet with dusty butterscotch, lemon lollipop, and sugar cookie, which all sit in perfect balance. Woodshop walnut comes across smooth and polished. It's rich, elegant, and refined in the nose, to the point I can plunge as deep as I'd like. I recognize it's an understated whiskey, something the modern proof hounds might call disappointing in their precipitousness, but I find myself loving every bit of it. After a few inhales, subtle fruit begins to bloom in the glass. Starting with pale papaya before intensifying with lychee, this glass is just beautiful. Watermelon, pomegranate, and strawberry burst out in complex riffs that tantalize and excite—I haven't had a whiskey this great in quite some time. Nosing this is creamy and dreamy, the combination of its parts being perfectly balanced, yet somehow still potently aromatic. It makes me smile and dream. Dreams of days without stress or responsibility, when tranquil light was the only sensation of import. It reminds me fondly of the early days when I first fell in love with American whiskey—the perfect rye in my eye. Deep inhales on the well-rested glass continue to deliver enchanting waves of crème de cassis, vanilla bean, and a sweet medley of peaches and cream. As I run out of room on the page for my scrawling and fervent handwritten notes, I finally decide it's time for a sip.
Coming back to the nose after a few sips is just as rewarding as creamy and bright tones continue to flourish. Demerara sugar and light cola will impress any sweet tooth. Late in the glass, the aromas finally begin to settle out as I know I've spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon plumbing the depths of this glencairn. The empty glass smells of creamy lobster bisque and light molasses.
Palate: On first taste, I find citrus and salt, like a fresh lime squeezed over a deliciously crafted chicken taco, adorned with a sprig of cilantro. It's perfectly balanced in the mouth, just as it was on the nose, with an orange cream soda profile that completely coats the mouth in a buttery sweet haze. Another taste, another journey into rye heaven; not a single prickle of spice—the way great rye should be. Instead, vanilla biscotti, Columbian robusta pour-over coffee, and dried raspberry leave a light and lovely lingering impression on the tongue, which leaves my mouth sticky and watering in anticipation of further sips to come. Working through the glass, I continue to be impressed by the grace and class of this pour—this is what all great ryes wish they could be. A long sip and swish elevates vintage whiskey vibes as fruitcake, raisins, and Boston cream doughnuts all continue to cater to the amazement of this longtime whiskey enthusiast. The linger is perfectly satisfying in length and intensity, sending lemon frosting and tozzetti dancing across the top of my palate as my tongue seeks out further pockets of deliciousness. Sipping near the bottom of the glass is bittersweet, as I know not many whiskeys are going to live up to this one in the coming days. The long linger of sweet crêpes, strawberries, and whipped cream is a dreamy send-off to an amazing rye.
TL;DR: Another balanced and thoroughly expressive home run rye from Michter's
Rating: 4.5/5
This is one of the most astounding releases of 2025 for me. Anyone searching for a silky sipper to complement their already-impressive whiskey collection will not be disappointed by this bottle. It's one of the first whiskeys this year that truly wowed me and made me feel deeply passionate about the whiskey industry again; I'm so grateful for moments like this. Get yourself one of these!
