Michter's Distillery
Michter’s legacy dates back to 1753 when John Shenk founded his distillery in Schaefferstown, PA, where he produced rye whiskey. Abraham Bomberger then purchased the distillery in 1861. The distillery did not do particularly well after reopening following the repeal of prohibition and changed hands a number of times. In the 1950’s, Lou Forman, one of the distillery’s owners, created the name Michter’s by combining the names of his sons, Michael and Peter. In 1989 Micther’s declared bankruptcy and the distillery and trademark were abandoned. In the 1990’s, Joseph J. Magliocco and Richard Newman resurrected the Michter’s brand in Kentucky, where it is still located today.
Michter’s Distillery has three locations, but tours are only offered at the Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery in Louisville, KY. It should be noted that the main production distillery is the Shively Distillery, and the Fort Nelson Distillery produces only small quantities and mainly exists for visitors. Three different tours are offered. The Discovery Tour is the least expensive tour and offers an introduction to Michter’s and a tour of the facilities, followed by a tasting of 5 of the Michter’s whiskeys, including the US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye barreled at two different barrel entry proofs. The Founders Tour is a little longer, and gives a deeper look into the distilling process, as well as samplings of some of the less commonly seen Michter’s whiskeys. The Legacy Tour, which I took, is a more in-depth educational experience led by one of the senior members of the Michter’s team. This tour is approximately 2 hours. The experience includes an introduction to Michter’s Distillery and its history, a tour of the distillery with a fairly in depth discussion of the production process, a short sensory experience and a tasting which includes some of the more sought after Michter’s whiskeys.
My tour was led by Kyle Lloyd, who is the Director of Research & Development at Michter’s. We all gathered at the far end of the gift shop, where there is a timeline of Michter’s history and a video monitor on the wall. Kyle used the timeline to explain the history, and then we watched a short related introductory video. Following this, we proceeded into the distillery. Again aided by ample signage on the walls, we began our discussion of distilling with one of the most important ingredients, water. Kentucky sits on a limestone shelf, and Louisville itself on a large aquifer. The limestone, sand and gravel act as a natural water filter. It turns out that this limestone filtered water is low in iron and high in calcium and is excellent for making whiskey.
Next, we moved over to a display of the grains used for distilling Michter’s whiskey. These include U.S. Grown non-GMO Corn, Rye and Barley. The grains at Michter’s are ground with a cage mill, and a small functional version was used for demonstration purposes. The mash tun or cooker, which is the next step and is used to cook the grains at varying temperatures allowing the enzymes to convert starches to fermentable sugars, is located in the basement, so we visited that near the end of the tour. The three cypress fermenters were our next stop. They are from the original Michter’s Pennsylvania distillery. The larger Michter’s Shively distillery, also in Louisville, handles most of the production and has steel fermenters. The process of fermentation was explained to us as we watched the action in the open fermenters.
There is a small double pot still system in the Michter’s Fort Nelson distillery. I believe that this is also from the original Pennsylvania distillery. In the larger Shively distillery, there is also a pot still system, as well as a 32 inch diameter 46 foot tall copper column still. The distillate comes off of the stills at Michter’s at a final proof of 138. Just past the stills is a small lab area. Here we were did a short sensory experience where we smelled samples of the heads, which are comprised of the first components which come off the still, the hearts, which contains the ethyl alcohol and the most desirable products of distillation, and the tails, which are the final products of distillation. We also discussed further the distillation and production process used at Michter’s. Bourbon can enter the barrel at no higher than 125 proof, but at Michter’s they "proof it down" to 103 proof before barreling it. We were told that this is a very important step at Michter’s in allowing them to create the best bourbon. This point is mentioned multiple times during the tour and in signage. Michter’s whiskeys are also filtered prior to bottling, utilizing filtration systems specifically designed for each style.
The barrels are very important in creating the flavor of bourbon. Kyle gave us a detailed discussion of the seasoning (the amount of time the wood ages prior to barrel construction), toasting and charring processes used in making Michter’s barrels. A small display of a rickhouse was the backdrop for our discussion of the aging process, as barrel aging does not occur onsite. Michter’s uses temperature cycling in their warehouses, which allows the whiskey to experience temperature fluctuations allowing it to move in and out of the wood with greater frequency than nature would normally provide. Using a flavor wheel as a visual aid, Kyle told us about the different flavors that the barrels impart on the whiskey, and this would prepare us for the next part of our tour, another sensory experience and then the whiskey tasting!
For our next sensory experience, we each had our own setting of 4 glass bottles with examples of the different aroma characteristics that we had been discussing, and a jelly bean. Each bottle was presented as an unknown, and we described what we smelled as each of us sniffed their contents. Then it was time to put everything we had learned to use sampling some actual whiskey. For the Legacy Tour, we were presented with some of the more coveted Michter’s whiskeys, in addition to those that are more readily available. We began with Michter's US1 Rye barreled at 125 proof (the highest proof allowable) and 103 proof (the proof Michter's uses) to demonstrate the effects of different barrel entry proofs on the final spirit. Although the difference had been explained to us, this sampling allowed us to really appreciate it firsthand. Next we sampled the Michter's US1 Bourbon, which is readily available in most markets. Then it was on to the special treats, which included Michter's 10 year old Rye and 10 year old Bourbon, the Bomberger’s Declaration Whiskey 2018 release and last, but certainly not least, the highly sought after Michter's 20 year old bourbon. For anyone wondering, yes, it really is that good!
After our tasting we then proceeded to the basement where we found grain storage, the “cooker” and the barrel filling station. We each had the opportunity for a photo-op while filling a barrel. Our tour finished on the second floor of the distillery, at the aptly named “The Bar at Fort Nelson” where we had the opportunity to purchase cocktails and pours of bourbon. I really enjoyed my visit to Michter’s and the Legacy Tour was a great experience, and well worth the price. (Please note that experience is more abbreviated on the Discovery and Founders tours, and different whiskeys are presented for tasting.)
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Please note that Distillery Hours and Tour/Tasting Availability may vary. Please contact the distillery or check their web page or social media for details before you go.
| Days of operation | Tours: Closed: Tues & Wed Mon, Thu, Fri: 12pm - 6pm Saturday: 11am - 5pm Sunday: 1pm - 4pm Gift Shop: Closed: Tues & Wed Mon, Thu, Fri: 11:30am - 8pm Sat: 10:30am- 7pm Sun: 12:30pm - 6pm |
Paved Drive / Lot | City Parking |
Motorcycle Parking |
City Parking |
| Motorcycle unfriendly features | N/A |
Number of tours per day | Discovery Tour - Mon, Thur, Fri: 7 Sat: 6 Sun: 4 Founders Tour - once/week Legacy Tour - once/month |
Length of Tour(s) | 1 hour |
Advanced topic tours? | Yes |
Advanced topic tour names | Founders Tour ( 1 1/2 hours), Legacy Tour (2 hours) |
Tours by owners /distillers available? | Legacy Tour is led by a senior member of the Michter’s Team |
Number of different types of tours | 3 |
On-Line Tour Reservations Available | Yes |
Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required | Yes |
| Cost for tour(s) in $ | Discovery Tour - $20 Founders Tour - $50 Legacy Tour - $100 |
Tasting Included? | Yes |
| Number of samples included in tasting |
5 whiskey + small cocktail sample for Discovery Tour |
| Tasting Only Option? |
Pours are available at the Bar at Fort Nelson |
| Tasting Only Option Cost |
Varies on whiskeys purchased at the Bar |
High-end tasting option? | Some higher end bourbons available in the Founders and Legacy Tours. Most Michter's whiskeys are available at The Bar at Fort Nelson |
High-end tasting option cost? | Variable depending on tour and pours selected at The Bar at Fort Nelson |
Designated Driver Option | No |
Handicapped Accessible? | Yes |
| Souvenirs included with tour? | Only with Founders and Legacy Tours |
Gift shop | Yes |
On-Site bottle sales? | Yes |
| On-site food: Restaurant/Cafe/Snacks | No |
| On-site Cocktail bar | Yes |
| On-site event space | Yes |
| Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No) | Yes |
| Unique Features | Multiple tours are available, including the Legacy Tour which is led by senior Michter’s staff and includes high end bourbon in the tasting. The production takes place at the Michter’s Shively Distillery. The Bar sells cocktails as well as pours of many of the Michter’s bourbons. There is the opportunity to fill your own souvenir bottle |
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| Date Visited | October 2019 |
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