Distilled 1974 at Michter’s Pot Still Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The Gold Foil bottling of A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 Year one of the most historically significant American bourbons ever produced, from a distillery that no longer exists.

The story of A.H. Hirsch Reserve begins in 1974, when spirits entrepreneur Adolph Hirsch contracted with Michter’s Pot Still Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania one of America’s oldest continuously operating distilleries, tracing its lineage to 1753 to produce a special batch of bourbon. The distillery used a pot still rather than the column stills standard in modern bourbon production, producing a distillate of unusual character. When Michter’s closed permanently in 1990 after financial difficulties, the barrels Hirsch had contracted sat aging in Pennsylvania without a home distillery.

The bourbon was moved to Kentucky for continued aging and eventually bottled at 16 years old under the A.H. Hirsch Reserve label. What emerged from those pot still barrels after 16 years distilled using a method essentially extinct in American bourbon production became one of the most celebrated American whiskeys of all time. The Gold Foil designation is one of the premium presentation variants, distinguishing it from the standard silver capsule bottlings. These bottles are finite: once gone, the 1974 Michter’s Pot Still bourbon can never be reproduced.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Deep, rich amber with the extraordinary color of 16-year pot still bourbon from 1974.
• Nose: Extraordinarily complex dried fruit, leather, beeswax, honey, and a distinctive pot still character found nowhere in modern bourbon production.
• Palate: Rich and full-bodied with remarkable integration caramel, dried fruit, aged oak, and the unique grain character that pot still distillation produces.
• Finish: One of the longest finishes in American bourbon evolving through multiple stages before a deeply satisfying, warm close.

Historical Context

• Distilled: 1974
• Distillery: Michter’s Pot Still Distillery, Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania (est. c.1753, closed 1990)
• Distillation method: Pot still (effectively extinct in American bourbon)
• Age: 16 years
• Presentation: Gold Foil variant
• Size: 750ml

Browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the Michter’s Pot Still Distillery and how does it relate to today’s Michter’s brand? The Michter’s Pot Still Distillery in Schaefferstown, PA was one of America’s oldest distilleries, tracing to 1753. It closed permanently in 1990. The current Michter’s brand in Louisville, Kentucky is a separate company that acquired the Michter’s name it has no production or ownership connection to the Schaefferstown facility. The A.H. Hirsch bourbon was literally distilled at the original Pennsylvania Michter’s, not the current Louisville brand.
• What is pot still bourbon and why is it different? Standard bourbon is distilled in column stills a continuous process that efficiently strips the wash to high-proof neutral spirit. A pot still is a batch process that distills in round copper vessels, retaining more of the grain’s congeners (flavor compounds) in the spirit. Pot still bourbon has a richer, more complex distillate character than column still bourbon. It is essentially extinct in American commercial bourbon production today.
• What is the Gold Foil designation? A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 Year was bottled in several presentation variants, including silver capsule and gold foil capsule versions. The gold foil is a premium presentation tier of the same 1974 Schaefferstown pot still bourbon.
• Can this bourbon ever be replicated? No. The Michter’s Pot Still Distillery in Schaefferstown closed in 1990 and was demolished. The specific combination of that distillery’s pot still equipment, the 1974 grain crop, and 16 years of aging cannot be reproduced under any circumstances.

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