On a whiskey exploration trip to Louisville, Kentucky, my brother and I stopped in Michter’s Distillery to do a flight of their rye and bourbon. Of the samples poured, we thought their toasted rye was the best of them all and I managed to find two bottles of it to add to my collection. The nose starts with rich caramel covered figgy pudding then a s’mores sandwich with dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow and graham cracker before the rye appears with some fresh baked pumpernickel bread followed by a fresh glass of black tea with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with rich caramel covered figgy pudding and cinnamon apple pie then a s’mores sandwich with dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow and graham cracker before the rye appears with some fresh baked pumpernickel bread followed by black licorice, a tannic bitterness and medium spice that overpowers the flavors with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with burnt cinnamon raisin toast, toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate, graham cracker crust, caramel apple and over steeped black tea. Unfortunately, this isn’t as great as I remember and must have something to do with the experience drinking this at the distillery while smelling the mash cooking and the company involved that made this seem much better. Overall, this is a tasty and different type of rye with the toasted finish adding rich caramel, s’mores sandwich and dark fruits to the mix, but the balance is off with the mid-palate veering towards medium spicy and bitter flavors that fade into the finish allowing those s’mores and dark fruits through with lighter tannic notes in the background. These cost around $80 retail and I think that’s a fair price for a different take on rye, but it’s nowhere near the secondary prices of $200+.