Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 94 |
| Style |
Rye American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 46.4% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $210.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2025-07-01 |
Michter's 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2025) Review
Another year, another Michter’s 10 Year Rye. That’s far from a guarantee, and we have numerous examples when the Kentucky-based distillery declined to release an age-stated whiskey due to stock deemed less-than-fully-mature. But 2025, it seems, is one of those lucky years for the brand’s fans, when both the 10-year bourbon and rye whiskeys pass inspection and make it to market.
As usual, Michter’s 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is a single barrel product bottled at 92.8 proof. It carries a 10-year age statement, though it’s often believed the brand only greenlights these bottlings with distillate significantly older than the decade mark. While the company itself won’t normally state exactly how much older the barrels are, an official tagline describes the whiskey as “matured longer than the age statement on the label.”
And while there will almost certainly be some difference from one barrel to the next, of all American whiskey companies, Michter’s is perhaps best known for its consistency between casks. It’s an almost uncanny ability to produce widely distributed yet still consistent releases, though for reference, the sample discussed today comes from barrel number 25D1385.
Another detail Michter’s doesn’t generally disclose is the exact mashbill, though the rye is believed to be a “Kentucky-style” recipe with a relatively high percentage of corn. That often (though not always) leads to a rye closer in profile to bourbon, with more pronounced sweetness.
Let’s see how this year’s version tastes!
Michter's 10 Year Old 2025 Rye: Stats and Availability
Michter’s 10 Year Rye carries an MSRP of $210, about $15 higher than the company’s equivalent bourbon. This is an allocated, well-regarded release that sometimes commands a markup at retail and on the secondary. I’ve seen bottles listed anywhere between $210 and $350 in major metropolitan markets, though a general cooling off of the premium whiskey market signals these may be more accessible than in the past couple years.
Michter's 10 Year Old Rye Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
The nose starts off with a fascinating trifecta of floral, sweet, and oaky notes. There’s a little potpourri on first sniff, particularly strong in dried lavender, that pairs well with familiar sweetness from Michter’s Kentucky-style rye recipe. First sniffs are like a dark caramel or just-overdone crème brûlée studded with dried, edible flowers. Concurrently, the rye boasts a moderate amount of oak, which waffles between tanned leather and sweet cured tobacco leaves.
At first almost inextricable, those three elements are more discernible with more time in the glass. Floral scents evolve to herbal, with lemongrass (and perhaps expressed lemon peel), spearmint, and sage joining dried lavender and providing some “greener” freshness that helps differentiate the whiskey from a classic bourbon profile. A tiny pop of dill wafts out of the glass, but not so nearly pronounced as is common with an Indiana-style, 95/5 rye mashbill. Ultimately, fresh herbs are just small components here; they provide depth without ever taking center stage.
Caramel also changes with returns to the glass and takes on a slightly nutty character, shifting the sweet scents closer to praline with a thread of milk chocolate. And while it wasn’t pronounced at first, fruit also builds here, specifically a telltale tart raspberry I often pick up on older Michter’s rye barrels.
That praline sweetness is ensconced in oak, which here comes across with some fungal earthiness. To that end, it smells more like standing in an old rickhouse than nosing wood staves up close, with earthen floors playing almost as much a role as the barrel itself.
Taste
Orchard fruit plays a bigger-than-expected role at first sip, with both dried apricot and baked apples hitting the front of the tongue and gliding back across the palate. The second sip is big on wood, and overall, this 2025 version is maybe a bit oakier than what I remember from 2024. Raspberry/red berry compote is up next, though it’s dark, heavily reduced, and flavored with a very sweet balsamic vinegar. Candied lemon peel lends welcome tartness here, which helps keep flavors from veering too tannic too early.
Floral and herbal notes — burnt sage, saffron — build toward the midpalate, as does toasted almond and chocolate, which transitions from milky to increasingly dark with each taste. It’s also here where baking spice really takes shape in all its stripes: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and (especially) baked clove. The interplay of spice and dark chocolate remains dominant through the back palate, punctuated occasionally (and in roughly equal parts) by dried herbs, wood, and more toasted nuts.
Finish
The finish is long and more chocolate-forward than some recent batches, though to reiterate, there is likely to be some variation from one barrel to the next. Fruit lingers in the form of dark and heavily spiced apple butter, along with residual oak. The entire experience crafts an interesting narrative from the floral nose through to a confectionery, cocoa-and-spice finish. It’s a fun ride, especially if sipped (and sniffed) with patience.
Michter's 10 Year Old Rye Rating
94/100
Recap
Based on the barrel sampled, Michter’s has once again bottled another excellent 10-year rye, with a lot to like and little to criticize. This year’s release covers a wide range on both aroma and flavor spectrums, before ultimately landing the plane with big doses of chocolate and spice. I found the whiskey a slight but noticeable improvement on the (also very good!) 2024 version, elevated in both complexity and punch.
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