Michter's and Bomberger's: The Story of a Historic Pennsylvania Distillery
Michter's traces its heritage to 1753, and today the whiskey is made in Louisville, Kentucky. The name also belongs to an old Pennsylvania distillery, so this profile covers both.
At a glance
Today: Michter's Distillery, Louisville, Kentucky
Facilities: Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery, Michter's Shively Distillery and Michter's Springfield Farm
Heritage claim: a legacy tracing back to the founding of America's first whiskey company in 1753
People: Dan McKee is Master Distiller and Andrea Wilson is Master of Maturation, according to a March 2024 company press release
Visits: Fort Nelson offers tours and a bar, bookable through the official site
The old Pennsylvania distillery
Bomberger's Distillery, later Michter's Distillery, near Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, has documented spirit production since 1753. The surviving still house, warehouse and jug house date from about 1840. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980. It closed in 1989 as America's smallest commercial distiller.
Whiskey sold today under the Bomberger's and Michter's names is a more recently introduced product with no direct connection to the old distillery, according to Wikipedia. The current company honours the 1753 heritage on its labels.
The current range
Michter's US 1 American Whiskey
Michter's US 1 Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter's US 1 Sour Mash Whiskey
Michter's US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
The heritage in the company's words
The official Our Legacy page says the company that became Michter's was founded as Shenk's by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer, in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1753, making rye whiskey from a favoured local crop. It was later known as Bomberger's after Abraham Bomberger bought it in the mid 1800s.
The page repeats Pennsylvania lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, that George Washington bought the whiskey for his troops at Valley Forge. This is a company retelling of local legend, not a documented fact, so treat it as lore.
Prohibition closed the distillery, which changed hands many times after repeal. In the 1950s owner Lou Forman created the Michter's name from parts of his sons' names, Michael and Peter. In 1989 the then owners declared bankruptcy and abandoned the site.
The Kentucky revival
In the 1990s Joseph J. Magliocco and Richard Newman teamed up to revive the name. They filed for the abandoned trademark and chose to resurrect Michter's in Kentucky. Newman had run Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow and Old Taylor for National Distillers and later led Austin Nichols, the distiller of Wild Turkey, according to the page.
Today the company lists three Kentucky locations: an 88,674 square foot distillery in the Shively area of Louisville, the Fort Nelson Building on Louisville's Museum Row, and 205 acres of farmland in Springfield.
Six production techniques
The official Production page names six steps the company says set its whiskey apart:
Oak is open air seasoned and air dried for 18 to 60 months
Barrels are toasted before they are charred
Distillate enters the barrel at 103 proof (51.5% ABV), below the 125 proof maximum
Heat cycling of warehouses in winter
All whiskeys are single barrel or small batch, with batches limited to no more than twenty full barrels
Filtration is chosen separately for each whiskey
These are the company's own claims. The home page also carries a 2026 "World's Most Admired Whiskey" banner, which we have not checked against the original ranking.
Where is Michter's made?
Michter's runs facilities in and around Louisville, Kentucky: Fort Nelson, Shively and Springfield Farm.
Who is the Michter's master distiller?
Dan McKee, with Andrea Wilson as Master of Maturation, per a 2024 company press release. Check the official Our Team page for the current line up.
Is Michter's the same as the old Pennsylvania distillery?
No. The modern whiskey has no direct connection to the old Schaefferstown buildings, though the brand honours that 1753 heritage.
Official website
Facts in this profile come from the official site and public reference summaries. Whisky Clan does not publish tasting notes in its distillery profiles.
Further sources checked on 20 October 2026: the official Willett home, About and Visit pages, or the official Michter's home, Our Legacy and Production pages. Not reached: michters.com/about (404). Hours, prices and ownership claims are as seen on that date and should be rechecked before publishing. Not tried: Whisky Advocate, Whiskybase, trade press.
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