Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey (2018) Review

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Shenk’s Sour Mash Whiskey is a member of the Michter’s family of whiskies. It gets its name from the founders of the original Pennsylvania distillery founded in the 1600’s.  A short time later, the name was changed to Bomberger’s after to a merger.  When another merger happened later on, the name was switched to Michter’s.  Michter’s has recently decided to start releasing bottles under these two new(ish) labels as a way to celebrate their heritage and ensure that no other company would release them.  

Shenk’s Sour Mash Whiskey

Shenk’s Sour Mash Whiskey is technically not a bourbon. Instead, it’s a blend of both Michter’s bourbon and rye whiskey. A portion of the bourbon was finished in French Oak barrels for the 2018 release.  Based on that knowledge, we can assume that this is a very close relative to Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey except that it is bottled at a higher proof and has a portion of the blend finished in the beforementioned French Oak barrels.  

It should also be mentioned that this 2018 bottling uses bourbon and rye whiskey that was contract distilled at Brown-Forman using mash bills similar to Early Times bourbon and Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey. Since Michter’s was cut off from Brown-Forman’s contract distillated whiskies in 2011 and they didn’t start producing their own until late 2015, we can assume that the blend used to make the 2018 Shenk’s sour mash whiskey is a minimum of 7 years old.

Pricing for this bottle is all over the map.  Some have said that they’ve found this bottle for $40.  The distillery at Fort Nelson sells this bottle for $90 though.  That’s a large difference, but is even the $90 price worth it?  Let’s find out.  I sampled this neat and in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: This nose is a dead ringer for mincemeat pie. I’ve had it twice in my life, have forgotten I’ve had it, and then sniffing this whiskey brought me right back to it. The ingredients in a mincemeat pie are all there: cherries, apples, figs, brandy, brown sugar and orange zest. A soft, woody essence also lingers around that is unlike most woods I normally detect. This must be the French Oak. The nose is absolutely the most well integrated nose I’ve had the pleasure of smelling in a long while.

Palate: Sweet, golden raisins, crystalized ginger and the most interesting oak flavor I have had in a whiskey. It’s not strong and tannic like MGP, but it’s soft and has a fragrant quality about it that’s hard to describe. This could also be some of the French Oak influence I’m tasting.  The mouthfeel is also decently oily as well.

Finish: The finish ends on a very well layered and rich blend of apricots, melted salted sweet cream butter, a dash of ground chipotle pepper and lemon rind.  It is sweet, creamy citrusy and a touch spicy all at the same time.

Score: 7.9/10

This is an amazing ~90 proof whiskey.  I’ve had many pours of this and can’t get over how well nuanced it is for the proof.  It may not be a bourbon, but the color matches the flavor: dark and strangely intense. The flavors are deep and rich and above all, unique to almost everything else out there. 

Final Thoughts

I would highly recommend to find this bottle for your collection to show fellow drinkers that it doesn’t have to be a straight bourbon to be this good.  The only thing that could possibly improve this would be a barrel proof version, which knowing Michter’s, could be a project that will see light in the coming years with all of their label expansion.