THE MAGIC OF MICHTER'S

This whiskey brand's modern-day success lies in its old-school distilling and aging techniques.

- WAYNE CURTIS

“WHISKY LOCH” (OR “LAKE”) is a term that arose in the 1980s and ’90s to describe the vast glut of Scotch sitting around in barrels. At the time, few people were interested in old whisky and the same was true in America. Imbibers had migrated to vodka and tequila, leaving brown spirits in their wake. Bourbons and ryes that did make it into bottles idled on liquor store shelves—dusty and unnoticed.

“It was like a fistfight to sell the stuff years ago,” says Joe Magliocco, president of Michter’s Distillery in Louisville, KY.

Magliocco launched Michter’s in the waning days of that first whiskey lake. He saw a gap in the market and suspected a smaller brand could succeed in selling niche products abandoned by the big brands.

“There was little to no market for age statement bourbon in those days,” he says, “and there was almost no market for American rye.” But Magliocco believed in the power of reviving a storied brand.

Michter’s is now hitting its stride just as many in the industry believe a second whiskey lake is forming. Supply appears to be outpacing demand again, yet Magliocco remains confident. One way to navigate turbulent waters is to plot a sensible course, trust your judgment, and sail on—no matter the wind and waves.

For nearly three decades, Magliocco has followed a single lodestar: make the “best American whiskey.” And he’s betting that course will carry them across the next whiskey lake.

Michter’s history began in 1753, when Swiss Mennonite brothers John and Michael Shenk set up a still in southeastern Pennsylvania. It was one of hundreds of distilleries that dotted the rural Northeast, where corn and rye were abundant. Distilling proved a sensible way to preserve and ship crops while adding value. Over the next two centuries, the Shenk distillery was bought and sold, went bankrupt twice, and changed names several times.