For only the fifth time in history, Michter’s is releasing a batch of Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey — the rarest whiskey in their entire portfolio. (The last time we saw a release of Celebration was in 2022.) Celebration 2025 is blended from just seven exceptional barrels of whiskey — four barrels of rye and three barrels of bourbon, all distilled in Kentucky. It’s a similar blending concept to High West’s Bourye or Beam’s Little Book, and the reason that Celebration carries the label “Sour Mash Whiskey” rather than, say, bourbon or rye.
The batch was finalized in 2025, making it a 2025 release, even if it’s only reaching shelves in early 2026. Yes, this might confuse things if Celebration came out every year, but in fact there have only been five releases of Michter’s Celebration since the first release in 2013 — an average of one batch every three years. On that schedule, there will likely be just one more release of Celebration in this decade. The barrels selected for this release range in age from 12 to 30 years, which suggest that it will heavily favor flavors of vanilla, oak spice, tea and tobacco, among others (you can also expect the color to be particularly deep).
“Each release of Michter’s Celebration is truly unique and cannot be replicated. This extraordinary whiskey is a symphony decades in the making, orchestrated by Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson and Master Distiller Dan McKee,” said Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco, in a statement heralding the rare release. “Together, they carefully oversee the aging and blending process, selecting these seven whiskeys not only for the extraordinary individual characteristics each brings, but with the understanding that together, they will create a whiskey so exquisite that the sum is even greater than its individual parts.”
At 115.2 proof, it’s at a great strength for neat sipping or adding a splash of water — maybe even an ice cube — or making one of the most aggressively bougie cocktails in modern history. After all, it’s one of the most expensive American whiskeys on the market. The vital stats on this bottle hurt a little, whether you’re flush with whiskey cash or not. For starters, the suggested retail price on Celebration 2025 is $6,000 — a price that will potentially double by the time those early bottles hit secondary markets.
Current listings online have the 2022 version between $16,000 and $22,000. What’s worse for collectors, though, is the absolutely minuscule total production for this release: only 315 bottles of Celebration 2025 are being released for the world audience. That could mean fewer than 200 bottles for the entire U.S. market (likely less). If you just want a taste of this one, expect to see many of those bottles on the highest shelves of the best whiskey bars in the country. You can also try again next time, which should be around 2029 or so.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for whiskey reviews and trends, perspectives on drinks, and stuff.
