Any time you get to taste a premium whiskey from Michter's, it's a cause for celebration. It just so happens that this particular expression is so painstakingly created that its name is an homage to the occasion.

Michter's Celebration Sour Mash debuted in 2013 and, at the time, represented a major innovation in the American whiskey world, not only as one of the few expressions that blended bourbon and rye, but also as one of the first super-premium American whiskeys on the market. With an original MSRP of $4,000, Michter's anticipated the current crop of high-end American whiskeys we're seeing more frequently today. An aspect of that trend that Michter's may not have anticipated is that, over a decade later, they'd still be among the scant few brands insistent on using barrels over 30 years old in the blend.

The final product is a mingling of seven barrels, with the youngest in the bunch at 12 years old and the most seasoned cask containing whiskey that's been maturing since before the original Toy Story movie landed in theaters. Made from four rye barrels and three bourbon barrels, the results yielded only 315 bottles of Michter's Celebration Sour Mash for the entire world.

Celebration Sour Mash

Here at Uproxx, we were privileged to get a first taste of one of those bottles.

Known as "The World's Most Admired Whiskey", so named for the last three years, the Celebration Sour Mash is "a labor of love" according to Michter's Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson, who crafted this expression alongside Master Distiller Dan McKee and a select group from the brand's tasting panel. She continued, "To be part of creating Celebration is a tremendous honor. It is about respecting the art of maturing whiskey to its perfect moment, not a specific age; blending whiskeys to a profile that surpasses the beauty of any one barrel alone; and seeking something so unique it conveys a poetic elegance."

All of Michter's whiskeys undergo a proprietary filtration process, which is fine-tuned and custom-made for each individual expression. For this one, the team comprises several "micro batches" to hone in on a flavor profile befitting of the distillery's most illustrious release. Once the most exemplary batch is approved and brought to proof, it's then subjected to a carefully selected filtration process and bottled up for the world to enjoy.

Master Distiller Dan McKee

If you're salivating at the thought of how it might taste, wonder no more. Let's dive in for a full review.

The wider picture

The drinks business rewards patience. Recipes get refined quietly, formats get resized, and the label often changes long before anyone notices the liquid has.

At a glance

  • The final product is a mingling of seven barrels, with the youngest in the bunch at 12 years old and the most seasoned cask containing whiskey that's been maturing since before the original Toy Story movie landed in theaters
  • All of Michter's whiskeys undergo a proprietary filtration process, which is fine-tuned and custom-made for each individual expression
  • If you're salivating at the thought of how it might taste, wonder no more

Figures worth noting

  • Michter's Celebration Sour Mash debuted in 2013 and, at the time, represented a major innovation in the American whiskey world
  • With an original MSRP of $4,000, Michter's anticipated the current crop of high-end American whiskeys we're seeing more frequently today

All told

The details will firm up over the coming months. What is already clear is that this is unlikely to be the last we hear of it.