If you love American whiskey, today is your lucky day: Michter’s just announced the return of its revered Celebration Sour Mash. The melodious blend of well-aged Kentucky bourbons and ryes initially debuted in 2013, and this latest edition marks just the fourth time it’s seen shelves since then.
Beginning in February, a total of 328, gold-topped bottles will arrive at select retailers across the globe, housed in a beautiful burgundy enclosure containing a hand-signed letter from master distiller Dan McKee.
It’ll certainly sit pretty on any backbar. But to justify a four-figure price tag—it retails for $6,000—the juice within can’t merely be good, it has to be transformational. To ensure that outcome, McKee plucked some of the most precious stock from the Michter’s maturation warehouse, outside of Louisville: three barrels of Kentucky straight bourbon and four casks of Kentucky straight rye, all of it spanning 12 to 30 years in age.
This one clocks in at an exacting proof of 112.8 (56.4% ABV), a touch lower than its immediate predecessor—the 2019 edition, which wore a 115.6 proof on its label.
Despite the slight shift in strength, the latest Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash aims at the same benchmarks defining its ultra luxury mark. If you’re lucky enough to line up a pour, you can expect savory clove shrouded behind a smidge of umami to give way to roasted pineapple and fresh-baked pecan pie. It’s a decadent holiday spread in each sip.