Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon is Excellent For Its Age

Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

This is not a mea culpa for last week’s Taste Test column—that Blade and Bow 30-year-old bourbon was just too old and didn’t taste that great. But it’s good to strike a balance, so this week I’m focusing on a bourbon that skirts the upper limits of maturation, a practice that can go terribly wrong, but in this case goes wonderfully right. I’m talking about the 2025 release of Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon, which brings this column to a very happy close for the year.

Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon is an annual release, and while it’s a lot more expensive and hard to find than the 10 Year, it is usually pretty fantastic despite the fact that each expression is a little different from the last. As anyone who has been following Michter’s over the years knows, after a few different transitionary periods the majority of the whiskey being released by the distillery is now produced at the brand’s Shively facility. But given that it came online just about a decade ago, these older releases were contract distilled for the brand elsewhere. Michter’s does not reveal exactly where that is, but whiskey sleuths have determined that the likely source is Brown-Forman, the same distillery that produces Old Forester and most of the whiskey you’ll find in Woodford Reserve bottles.

That being said, Michter’s 20 doesn’t taste anything like those whiskeys, and not just because it’s bottled at a much older age. Michter’s is also entered into barrels at a much lower proof than most other whiskeys—103 to be exact, which is much lower than the industry standard of 125. That means less water needs to be added before bottling (this year’s release was bottled at 114.2 proof, as is the case with past releases). The barrels are also matured in heat-cycled warehouses, meaning there is more control over the aging process and a higher likelihood that an older bourbon will also be a good one.

And this year’s release is proof of that concept. Master distiller Dan McKee is said to look at the 17-to-20-year age range as the “fork in the road,” the time when barrels can either achieve exceptional levels of quality or perhaps start on a downward trajectory—the former are obviously what go into Michter’s 20 Year. Although this whiskey is an annual release, it skipped a year back in 2023 when the team didn’t think the liquid met their expectations, and that exacting focus on quality shines through when you open this bottle and pour yourself a glass.

This is an exceptional and decadent bourbon, with strong oak and subtle smoky notes that are never overpowering or distracting. There’s an intensity to the palate that reads as rich and complex rather than aggressive, with a defining earthiness that makes it stand out from others you might have tried at this age. And even at that relatively high proof (higher than some of Michter’s barrel-proof expressions, actually) the whiskey is still extremely sippable and—yeah, I’m gonna say it—smooth. Look for notes of vanilla, honey, barrel-aged maple syrup, maraschino cherry, grape jelly, apple spice, and salted caramel on the palate, with some baking spice, black pepper, and a bit of menthol on the finish, which lasts for more than a few lovely warming seconds.

The 10-year difference between a 20-year-old and whiskey and a 30-year-old whiskey is obviously a huge one. Would a Michter’s 30 Year taste good? I really don’t know, but I vaguely remember the 25-year-old being very good (it’s been a long time since I’ve had a taste), and I have gauzy memories of really liking the vaunted Celebration Sour Mash, which has whiskey aged over 30 years in the blend (another distant memory). But let’s focus on what we have and not what might be. Michter’s 20 Year is a highly coveted bottle that is actually worth the hype, not to mention the few thousand you will likely have to pay above its $1,200 sticker price. If you are able to find a bottle, or even a pour at a really nice bar in your neighborhood, and are up for a splurge, you won’t be disappointed.

Score: 97

See Also

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