History

Michter's Distillery traces its roots to a revival after Pennsylvania's Michter's company went bankrupt in 1989. The Michter's brand was re-established in the 1990s by Joseph J. Magliocco, who, together with consultants, relaunched the Michter's brand, which has since evolved into the Louisville-based Michter’s Distillery and its parent company, Chatham Imports. Fort Nelson Distillery was brought online with the legendary pot stills and cypress wood fermenters from the original Michter's Pennsylvania operation.

Master Distiller Dan McKee was lured from Indiana to Kentucky to pursue the whiskey dream. He contributes to the building of Michter's Shively Distillery and, together with Andrea Wilson, to the development of the current production organization. Dan has also helped expand to Fort Nelson Distillery and works with grain and collaborates with local farmers around plowing and harvest on Michter's 205-acre tract in Springfield, Kentucky.

Andrea Wilson is Master of Maturation and COO. She oversees cask specifications, cask procurement, heat-cycling and temperature monitoring during maturation, as well as filtration prior to bottling and continued development of the maturation process. She has been a trailblazer in trade organizations and is inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Her background includes more than ten years at Diageo in roles related to distillation and maturation programs.

Matt Bell is Michter's Distiller and Vice President of Production and leads day-to-day operations at the Shively and Fort Nelson distilleries. He has a background in biology from the University of Kentucky and experience at Alltech and Wild Turkey in various roles, including distillation and research & development.

Pam Heilmann is Master Distiller Emerita and was the first woman since prohibition to serve as Master Distiller at a Kentucky distillery under the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. She has a long career in the industry and was previously with Beam Global.

Joseph J. Magliocco, President, runs Michter's Distillery and its parent company. He played a central role in restarting the Michter's brand in the 1990s and has since been one of the most prominent figures in the industry, including being inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame.

Production / Manufacturing

Grain

Michter's uses non-GMO grain, USDA Grade #1, and the grain is sourced domestically within the United States. Grain samples are taken prior to production to ensure specification requirements. The quality-control lab houses equipment such as GC-MS and HPLC to identify specific compounds in the distillate and aged whiskey, and a human sensory panel evaluates aromas and flavors as part of the qualification before aging in its own cask.

Milling

Michter's has two specially engineered cage mills (one for corn and one for smaller grains such as rye, malted barley, etc.) which ensure a uniform particle size without scorching the grain, contributing to consistently high quality.

Mashing & Fermentation

The distillery has a mashing/fermentation setup from Vendome Copper & Brass Works. Mash and yeast are added to fermentation vessels over a number of days under controlled temperatures to create a fermentable wash ready for distillation.

Distillation

The 100% copper column distillation stands 46 feet tall and has a diameter of 32 inches, with 19 trays and 4 levels of extra copper packing tailored by the distillation team to achieve a more distinctive distillate. The equipment consists of about 11,000 pounds of copper and was built by Vendome Copper & Brass Works. The 250-gallon copper doubler provides a second distillation that removes certain impurities and further develops the flavor.

Quality

Mitcher's uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure consistency and quality at every step. In addition to GC-MS and HPLC, two tests are performed before the distillate goes into the barrel: chemical analysis and human organoleptic analysis.

Maturation

All Mitcher's whiskeys mature in Kentucky warehouses. Kentucky's temperature fluctuations aid the aging process, and Mitcher’s selects heat-cycle storage facilities, which result in greater “Angel's Share” and greater flavor extraction from the barrels.

Products / Whisky Series

• Kentucky Straight Bourbon — 45.7% ABV
• Sour Mash — 43% ABV
• US1 American Whiskey — 41.7% ABV
• US1 Kentucky Straight Rye — 42.4% ABV

Visits / Experiences

Activities and Facilities

Michter's describes the facilities as a place where you can ‘Take a look around’ and see how Kentucky’s best whiskey is produced. In addition to the production, there is information about the Shively Distillery and Fort Nelson Distillery as the base of Michter's operations in Kentucky.

Shively Distillery (currently the production and bottling site)

The Shively facility spans 12.8 acres (87,000 m2) and functions as a fully licensed DSP (KY-20003) site for all processing and bottling, as well as two small pot stills and a specially built copper column distiller with a 32-inch diameter and a 46-foot-high support system. This part of the business demonstrates Micher's focus on both tradition and modernization in the process.

Philosophy

'Where science meets art' – Michter's uses both quantitative and qualitative methods throughout the process. Quality control involves advanced chemical analysis (GC-MS and HPLC) combined with human sensory evaluation. Maturation is conducted in heat-cycle storage facilities, underscoring an approach where science and craftsmanship are combined to achieve high quality in every batch.