Michter's is still the most popular whiskey in the world

Following it, in that order, are The Yamazaki and Hibiki, thus maintaining the podium unchanged from the previous edition, with Michter's also winning the title of Most Admired American Whiskey.

The ranking is composed of an international Academy of buyers, bartenders, journalists, educators, and other industry professionals. Each member is asked to select the ten brands they appreciate most, in order of preference, based on factors such as quality and consistency of the product line, value for money, and brand strength. This recognition thus captures the esteem in which various producers are held within the international professional community.

The rebirth in the nineties

Michter's is highly regarded, having once again surpassed other prestigious brands from Scotland, Japan, and the United States. This result should also be interpreted in light of the distillery's history and the journey that has brought the brand back to the pinnacle of American whiskey.

Michter's origins date back to 1753, when Swiss Mennonite John Shenk founded a distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, primarily producing rye whiskey. Having passed through several owners over the years, known first as Shenk's and then as Bomberger's, the distillery took the name Michter's in the 1950s. In 1989, after a long period of difficulty for the American whiskey industry, the company declared bankruptcy and closed its doors.

The brand was revived in the 1990s by Joseph J. Magliocco and Richard “Dick” Newman, who chose to move production to Kentucky, the heart of the modern American whiskey industry, to ensure access to the best talent and resources and to rebuild while honoring the Michter's legacy.

The brand has thus regained a strong reputation for offering uncompromising quality American whiskeys, all in limited production, including bourbon, rye, sour mash whiskey and American whiskey.

Vocation for quality

Production is characterized by particularly rigorous standards, starting with the raw materials, with all grains sourced from North America and of the highest quality available on the US market. Another central element of the production philosophy is aging. The wood used for the barrels, white oak from the forests of Kentucky and Tennessee, is air-dried for at least 18 months, and the barrels are toasted before carbonization: two steps that promote the release and concentration of the wood's natural sugars, contributing to the development of the whiskey's color, aromas, and structure. Even the strength at which the distillate enters the barrel, 51.5% ABV, is lower than that typically used in the industry, allowing for greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood during maturation.

Added to this attention to detail are the thermal cycling of the warehouses, used to promote interaction between distillate and barrel, and a highly selective management of the bottling process: the distillery works with single barrels or batches of up to 20 barrels, without resorting to large blends to ensure uniformity of the final result.

A commitment to quality that allows Michter's to continue to perform even in a particularly challenging market for American whiskey. According to Drinks International, over the course of this year, despite the challenging business environment, the brand has demonstrated solidity and the ability to enter new markets. This achievement is also linked to the strong and ongoing relationship built with the bar scene, where it has earned a prominent position in international bars, regularly appearing at the top of the Trending and Bestselling rankings in Drinks International's annual Brands Report, dedicated to the best-performing brands in the world's top cocktail bars. This new recognition consolidates a path built over time and confirms its reputation among professionals.