Are there still any bourbon drinkers out there who are hesitant about rye whiskey? According to Michter’s, there are a few holdouts remaining, but the distillery is hoping that even those who are rye-reluctant will take a chance and try the 2026 release of its 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye, the details of which were just announced.
“At tastings, we occasionally encounter bourbon drinkers who are reluctant to taste rye because of past experiences,” said Michter’s president Joseph J. Magliocco in a press release. “We explain that [we] makes Kentucky style rye that is different from many other American ryes. More often than not, those bourbon drinkers discover that they really enjoy our rye.” So what’s he talking about here? Michter’s makes its rye (or contract distills it, as still might be the case with these older barrels) using a mashbill that is relatively low in rye grain, presumably somewhere at or just above the legally required 51 percent as mandated by the TTB. That means it’s a bit sweeter and doesn’t have the intensely spicy, fruity character that a 95 or 100 percent rye whiskey has. “We make a Kentucky style rye that has more corn and malted barley in its mashbill than many other ryes,” said master distiller Dan McKee. “The result is a well balanced rye whiskey that has a rich sweetness and a flavor complexity that complement its spice notes.”
Michter’s 10 Year Rye and 10 Year Bourbon are two of the standouts in the distillery’s lineup, both well-aged whiskeys that are generally very good, despite the fact that each edition differs from year to year. That’s because they are released as single-barrel expressions, meaning they are bottled from one individual barrel as opposed to being batched together from many. The 10 Year Rye first came out in the early aughts, and while there have been some gaps it’s become an annual release in recent years. The 2026 edition was bottled at 92.8 proof, and while we don’t have a sample yet to try, master of maturation Andrea Wilson has some tasting notes. “A critical component of aging Michter’s 10 Year Rye is creating a barrel that is going to accentuate the beauty and elegance of a Kentucky style rye after aging for over 10 years,” she said. “This whiskey possesses a balance of complexity and refinement driven through baking spice, citrus, and floral characteristics, all of which are bolstered by the sweetness and maturity of the oak.”
Michter’s 10 Year Rye is available starting this month at select retailers around the country, and hopefully you’ll be able to find it somewhere close to its suggested retail price of $210.
Authors
Jonah Flicker
