52 min

Michter's American Whiskey with Master Distiller Dan McKee The Spirit Guide Society

    • Food

Michter's is a brand that's rich in both flavor AND history. The story of this line dates back all the way to 1753 when it was known as Shenk's Whiskey; Louis Foreman would later purchase the brand and rename it after his two sons, Michael and Peter.

We were incredibly lucky to have the current brains behind the operation, Master Distiller Dan McKee, come all the way from Kentucky to join us on this podcast. Please enjoy this very special episode featuring a very special whiskey.

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What we drank:

Michter's American Whiskey

Michter's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Michter's Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Michter's Barrel Strength Kentucky Rye Whiskey (Single Barrel)

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Follow us:

spiritguidesocietypodcast.com

facebook.com/spiritguidesoc

twitter.com/spiritguidesoc

instagram.com/spiritguidesoc

https://www.youtube.com/c/SpiritGuideSociety

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From The Michter's website:

Born and bred in Indiana, Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee moved to Kentucky to pursue his dream of making whiskey. He began his career in the bourbon industry as a Distillery Operator at Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. After two years of hands-on experience making some of the industry’s leading bourbons and ryes, he was promoted to Distillery Supervisor at Booker Noe Distillery, where he worked for seven years. At that distillery, Dan reported to Pam Heilmann and gained valuable experience in all aspects of whiskey distilling. After being brought to Michter’s Distillery by Ms. Heilmann, he played an integral role in assisting with the construction of the company’s new Shively Distillery, and along with Ms. Heilmann and Andrea Wilson he built the company’s current production team. Dan has continued to expand the company’s operations with his work to bring Michter’s Fort Nelson distillery online with its legendary pot stills and cypress wood fermenters from the original Michter’s Pennsylvania operation. With his expertise in grain, Dan has played a key role in working with our local farmers to coordinate the planting schedules on Michter’s 145-acre parcel in Springfield, Kentucky. Having graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University, Dan serves as Michter’s technical representative on the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

Legacy

Michter's is proud to honor a historical legacy tracing back to the founding of America's first whiskey company in 1753.

The Early Years: Revolutionary Rye in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania

Originally known as Shenk's and later as Bomberger's, the whiskey company which ultimately became known as Michter's was founded by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer, in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753. In its earliest days, Shenk's produced whiskey from rye grain, a favorite local crop in the Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Valley where the distillery was located.

According to Pennsylvania historical lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, this particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington visited the distillery and purchased whiskey to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Over 200 years later the Michter's Pennsylvania management would say Michter's was "the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution."

In the mid-1800s, Pennsylvania Dutchman Abraham Bomberger purchased the distillery and it became known for many decades as Bomberger's.

Midlife Crises of the Twentieth Century: From Prohibition to Bankruptcy

The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced the distillery, along with other American spirits producers, to shut its doors to the public. Although the distillery did reopen after the repeal of Prohibition, it changed hands many times over the next few decades and frequently occupied a precarious financial position. During the 1950s, Lou Forman, one of the distillery's then-owners, created the modern Michter's brand name by combining portions of hi

Michter's is a brand that's rich in both flavor AND history. The story of this line dates back all the way to 1753 when it was known as Shenk's Whiskey; Louis Foreman would later purchase the brand and rename it after his two sons, Michael and Peter.

We were incredibly lucky to have the current brains behind the operation, Master Distiller Dan McKee, come all the way from Kentucky to join us on this podcast. Please enjoy this very special episode featuring a very special whiskey.

--

What we drank:

Michter's American Whiskey

Michter's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Michter's Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Michter's Barrel Strength Kentucky Rye Whiskey (Single Barrel)

--

Follow us:

spiritguidesocietypodcast.com

facebook.com/spiritguidesoc

twitter.com/spiritguidesoc

instagram.com/spiritguidesoc

https://www.youtube.com/c/SpiritGuideSociety

--

From The Michter's website:

Born and bred in Indiana, Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee moved to Kentucky to pursue his dream of making whiskey. He began his career in the bourbon industry as a Distillery Operator at Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. After two years of hands-on experience making some of the industry’s leading bourbons and ryes, he was promoted to Distillery Supervisor at Booker Noe Distillery, where he worked for seven years. At that distillery, Dan reported to Pam Heilmann and gained valuable experience in all aspects of whiskey distilling. After being brought to Michter’s Distillery by Ms. Heilmann, he played an integral role in assisting with the construction of the company’s new Shively Distillery, and along with Ms. Heilmann and Andrea Wilson he built the company’s current production team. Dan has continued to expand the company’s operations with his work to bring Michter’s Fort Nelson distillery online with its legendary pot stills and cypress wood fermenters from the original Michter’s Pennsylvania operation. With his expertise in grain, Dan has played a key role in working with our local farmers to coordinate the planting schedules on Michter’s 145-acre parcel in Springfield, Kentucky. Having graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University, Dan serves as Michter’s technical representative on the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

Legacy

Michter's is proud to honor a historical legacy tracing back to the founding of America's first whiskey company in 1753.

The Early Years: Revolutionary Rye in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania

Originally known as Shenk's and later as Bomberger's, the whiskey company which ultimately became known as Michter's was founded by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer, in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753. In its earliest days, Shenk's produced whiskey from rye grain, a favorite local crop in the Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Valley where the distillery was located.

According to Pennsylvania historical lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, this particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington visited the distillery and purchased whiskey to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Over 200 years later the Michter's Pennsylvania management would say Michter's was "the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution."

In the mid-1800s, Pennsylvania Dutchman Abraham Bomberger purchased the distillery and it became known for many decades as Bomberger's.

Midlife Crises of the Twentieth Century: From Prohibition to Bankruptcy

The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced the distillery, along with other American spirits producers, to shut its doors to the public. Although the distillery did reopen after the repeal of Prohibition, it changed hands many times over the next few decades and frequently occupied a precarious financial position. During the 1950s, Lou Forman, one of the distillery's then-owners, created the modern Michter's brand name by combining portions of hi

52 min