This article is part of The Spill Awards 2025, covering the best in spirits, cocktails, bartenders and drinks culture. Find all of the stories here.
“You’re not gonna sell any rye. At least put out a little bourbon.”
“Well, we’re going to start with a 10-year rye.”
“You know, you’re a really nice guy, but boy, you’re dumb.”
As Joseph Magliocco tells it, that was the initial feedback on his idea for rebranding what is now one of the most sought-after whiskeys in the world. This was the mid-1990s when he was consulting with Dick Newman, who at the time was running the Olds — Old Taylor, Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow — before he worked with Austin Nichols, then parent company of Wild Turkey. Magliocco was brought on by Chatham Imports who wanted help recharging a then-obscure old American whiskey brand called Michter’s.
The venerated brand’s journey began as Shenk’s distillery in the mid-18th century in Schaefferstown, PA, producing the first American rye (rumored to have warmed the cockles of George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge). The company became Bomberger’s in the 19th century, then changed to Michter’s in the mid-20th (the name is a hybrid of then-owner Lou Forman’s sons’ names, Michael and Peter). Before the original Michter’s company went kaput by the late 1980s, it was reduced to producing gimmicky King Tut ceramic decanter packaging to make any dent in the U.S. whiskey market.
Now everyone probably wishes they had one of those.
Magliocco (who is now president of Michter’s) grew up in the business, working first on the warehouse side and moving up to sales. He had a soft spot for the brand but thought it deserved a premium edge, hence the idea to start with an impressive age-statement release and work only with rye. In the late 1990s, neither of these types of products were yet in demand.
He also decided to replant the brand in Kentucky instead of Pennsylvania. Magliocco says the rationale at the time was Kentucky had more resources, including the reserve whiskey in warehouses. And the Vendome stills used to produce the whiskey are made in KY.
Who’s the dummy now? Following Magliocco’s induction into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2023, that Michter’s 10 Year Rye, along with age-statement bourbon and other exceptional special releases, are highly allocated and sought after, so much so that some of them can only be bottled in certain years. It just so happens that 2024 was a doozy of one, seeing the release of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon, US*1 Barrel Strength Rye, new 2024 editions of the Legacy Series honoring the brand’s 248-year-old roots with Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash. 2024 was also one of the rare “vintages” of Michter’s 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
These expressions keep getting better, showing the influence of the wood without tasting too musty. That has a lot to do with the talents of Andrea Wilson, who has been Michter’s Master of Maturation since 2014 (Magliocco first got to know her when she was the first female chair of the Kentucky Distiller’s Association). “I’ve never met somebody who seems to understand the barrel chemistry for American whiskey and is able to translate it into words [and bottlings] like Andrea,” Magliocco says.
Some of the things that distinguish Michter’s whiskeys are that the barrels are air-dried and seasoned, toasted before charring to mellow them out and barreled at 103 proof, which is lower than most American whiskey.
“Seeking barrels that are exquisite in aroma, flavor, texture and finish but then being able to blend them together in a way that makes the final product, it’s even more exquisite than the individual parts themselves…it’s artistic, but there’s a lot of science in everything that we do,” says Wilson, who is now also COO of the company and one of the 55 women featured in the March book release of Spirited Women: Makers, Shakers, and Trailblazers in the World of Cocktails, which was recognized by this publication as one of the best book releases of the season.
“[The whiskeys] are dying to have their moment, and to create something really beautiful with them is an honor,” adds Wilson, who refers to a successful whiskey release as giving a “Kentucky hug.”
Michter’s now has two facilities. Most of the production is at Shively Distillery in outer Louisville, and the rest at Fort Nelson on Main Street downtown. This is where visitors are treated to tours, tastings and the joy of custom bottling. Wilson also has a lot to do with The Bar at Fort Nelson upstairs, which is open to both distillery visitors and people who just want to come for a tipple. With a classic cocktail list curated by David Wondrich, innovative signatures by the bar team, a separate highball menu, non-alcoholic offerings, exquisite glassware, an ice program frozen to impress even the most finicky ice geeks and yummy snacks, it’s become one of the main Louisville hospitality destinations.
The bar also hosts the Fort Nelson Fellows Program, featuring seminars, cocktail demonstrations and special events with visiting bar teams from top bars around the world, including last year’s visit from the Hope & Sesame team in Guangzhou, China.
“Everything that is exceptional about our tour and bar experience is because our team members all work here in Shively before they go to work at Fort Nelson,” Wilson says. “So they really get an intimate understanding of how we do things. They can speak from a very authentic place instead of just, ‘Oh, well, this is what they told me to say.’ They can tell the story in an authentic way, which I think is beautiful when you come to the bar.”
If you can’t make it to Louisville, the core US*1 line of rye, bourbon and American whiskey can be found at most bars and retail (though some of the special releases sell out quickly). “I’m really proud of the fact that we have people who are super engaged in what we’re trying to do every day, which is to create consistent, repeatedly quality whiskey,” Magliocco says. “So when you buy that bottle, you know what you’re going to get. That’s something that we’re really passionate about. We’re so grateful for people who buy our products and use our products at their bars, restaurants and home bar.”
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