Today’s whiskey tasting teaches us two different aspects of whiskey; Using a Sour Mash and what Toasting and different Char Levels do to the flavor. To do that, I tasted the Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey and the Limited Edition Michter’s Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey.
So what is a “Sour Mash”? The “Mash”, or sometimes “Mashbill”, is basically the recipe for the whiskey: what grains, and at what percent. Sometimes this is noted on the bottle, sometimes distillers keep it a secret. There are some guidelines, of course. Bourbon has to have at least 51% corn in the mashbill and Rye has to have at least 51% (you guessed it!) Rye. The “Sour” part, much like a sourdough bread, comes in when some of the previous batch of mash is used to help start the fermentation for the new batch. This helps with consistency between batches, making sure that the same strains of yeast are introduced, as well as the acidity in the spent mash keeping any other yeast strains from growing in the mash.
Now you may notice that the two Michter’s we are talking about here aren’t called either “Bourbon” or “Rye”, but simply Whiskey. This tells us that the mashbill contains neither enough corn or enough rye to be classified as either.
On to the the Fire!
Most whiskey is aged in charred barrels, and Bourbons and Ryes have to be aged in charred barrels by law. The charring creates a layer of charcoal that acts as a filter when the whiskey goes in and out of the wood as it ages. Charring will also affect the flavors and color that the barrel gives to the whiskey. Typically charring barrels is rated from Char 1 (lightest) to Char 4 (darkest) with Char 4 taking about one minute.
Toasting, on the other hand, creates a layer of caramelized sugars (yes, just like on toasted bread) and open up the wood to give another layer of flavors to the whiskey. The toasting process is expensive though, as it can take from ten minutes to almost an hour to do depending on the level the distiller wants.
Some barrels are toasted and then charred, but with the Michter’s Sour Mash Toasted Barrel Finish they are aged in charred barrels and then aged further in toasted ones until the Michter’s team, led by Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson, decide it’s ready. Speaking of ready, how about we move on to the tasting notes?
The Tasting
Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey
43% ABV
Nose: Corn, Oak, Light Brown Sugar
Taste: Roasted Banana, Acidity, almost Red Grapefruit like, Cinnamon
Finish: Hints of Leather and Earth. Taste fades quickly, but alcohol burn finishes longer and smoothly.
A few drops of water bring out some sweetness and acidity.
Michter’s Limited Edition Toasted Barrel Sour Mash Whiskey:
43% ABV
Nose: Corn, light oak mixes with darker caramel aromas
Taste: Tropical Fruit, Earth, Leather, Light Acidity
Finish: Leather fades into Ceylon Cinnamon; medium length.
A few drops of water brings out the earthiness.
Michter’s US*1 Unblended Whiskey was a gateway whiskey for me and I am a big fan of their bourbons as well. (More on the Unblended in a future post!) For me the toasted barrel finish seems to mellow the oak and the spiciness, as well as make the acidity a bit lighter. The earthy profiles also seem to be a bit stronger, but not in an overpowering way. Both are good sippers in my book, but I think I enjoy the regular Sour Mash just a bit more.
Have Fun Cooking (and Drinking Responsibly)!
Stuart