Why this bourbon deserves a place on your Thanksgiving table

Michter’s has a long history as a distillery — in fact, it claims to be America’s first whiskey company, dating back to 1753 (but under a different name — Shenk’s). The Pennsylvania-based company went through good and bad times in the next couple of centuries (and shut down during  Prohibition, naturally), until it went bankrupt and ceased operations in 1989.

But the brand name was revived by spirits entrepreneur Joseph J. Magliocco in the 1990s. Since then, Michter’s has reestablished itself in Kentucky and has become an “it” name in bourbon (and rye), with some of its special releases selling in the thousands of dollars on the collector market (we wrote about one such bottle previously).

Now, Michter’s has earned a new and very distinctive honor: It’s just been named the world’s most admired whisky brand by Drinks International, the prominent British publication devoted to all things boozy. That means it beat out not just other American distilleries, but also all of those in Scotland and Japan, the countries generally associated with top-flight brown spirits. Magliocco likens the honor to the famed “Judgment of Paris” in the wine world — when American wines were judged superior to their French counterparts.

All of which brings us to the US*1 bourbon. No, it’s not Michter’s most prestigious release. Instead, it’s an “everyday” bourbon that has been the company’s consistent big seller. There’s no official age statement on the whiskey, but Magliocco says it’s between 5 and 7 years old, with corn, malted barley and rye in its “mash bill” (or mix of grains). Sales have continued to grow quite sizably for the bottle: Over the past decade, it has seen an average annual increase of 47%, according to the brand.

What we think about it

If you’re looking for a very quaffable bourbon that has just the right amount of sweetness, this is a good bet. The key here is not the complexity of the sip, but the lack of it — it doesn’t aim to push boundaries or impress you with too many different flavor notes (though you’ll certain pick up some caramel and a hint of smoke). It just delivers true bourbon-y essence.

How to enjoy it

This is fine on its own or used in a classic whiskey-based cocktail, such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. And while I wouldn’t necessarily suggest pairing it with your turkey, you can certainly toast the Thanksgiving holiday with a sip of it before dinner. Bourbon is the all-American drink, after all, and Michter’s represents America’s (and now the world’s) best when it comes to whiskey.