Our primary grain is Andean Black Corn. Our strain is grown specifically for us in the Junin valley high in the Andes mountains. Its unique and vivid color is derived from an exceptional content of anthocyanins also found in blueberries raspberries. Don Michael is the only distillery in the world making whiskey using Andean Black Corn and aged in American white oak barrels. In addition to corn we have a proprietary blend of both malted barley and malted wheat giving us an exceptionally smooth bottled spirit. At Don Michael we have adopted the phase “From Grain to Glass” and it all start here with our grains.
Our Barrels are handmade in Louisville, KY by Kelvin Cooperage(un hyperlink a www.kelvincooperage.com) using only the finest aged American white oak. Like us at Don Michael, Kelvin Cooperage is family owned business and they too constantly strive to produce only the best of the best. Their dedication to maintaining the highest level of quality and service is evident in the care taken at every step of the coopering process to ensure that our distillery receives a highly crafted, subtly flavored, American white oak barrel which plays an integral part in our outstanding whiskey.
Our water is sourced from the Lurin valley aquifer which is directly fed from the Andes mountain. This mineral rich water largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates provides us with the perfect starting point for a world class whiskey.
We are proud to be using White labs(un hyperlink a www.whitelabs.com) yeast as an integral part of our process. White Labs is the industry’s first provider of pitchable liquid yeast. Their belief in creating the best and most environmentally friendly product goes hand in hand with our philosophy of using only the best when it comes to making whiskey.