If you’re interested in reading more about Michter’s history and the Bomberger’s Distillery, I recommend these articles here and here. In the meantime, here’s a brief “Cliff Notes” version. Bomberger’s Declaration Bourbon is named after Abraham Bomberger, a descendant of the Shenk family through his mother, Elizabeth Shenk Bomberger. In 1861, Abraham became the proprietor and distiller of the Schaefferstown, PA-based distillery, which had been in the family since 1753. He ran it with his elder brother Israel, changing the name to Bomberger’s Distillery. For 167 years, the distillery was passed down to Shenk family descendants until the 18th Amendment took effect in 1920. After the Repeal, Bomberger’s expanded and changed ownership many times. In the 1950s, Lois Forman purchased the distillery and, by combining the names of his two sons, Michael and Peter, renamed it Michter’s. In June of 1980, the Michter’s distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior. During the 1980s, the downturn of the whiskey market caused sales to fall annually until Michter’s was only producing 50 barrels of whiskey per day, six days per week, only three to four months of the year. On Valentine’s Day, 1990, the bank ordered Michter’s Master Distiller, Dick Stoll, to shut the operation down and lock its doors for good.
In 1995, Joseph J. Magliocco ran his family’s spirits import business, Chatham Imports, and sought a historic brand to revive. Being a whiskey lover, Joe wanted to choose an American Rye brand despite being advised against it. After some research, Magliocco discovered that the Michter’s trademark was available and, in 1997, purchased it for $245 and devised a three-phase business plan. Joe considered keeping the revived brand in its original PA location but was advised by Richard “Dick” Newman (former president of Wild Turkey’s parent company, Austin Nichols) to base the new Michter’s in Kentucky. Around 2000, phase one involved sourcing whiskey that was at least 10 years old for the brand’s initial releases of Michter’s 10 Year Rye and 10 Year Bourbon. Joe Magliocco partnered with Kentucky spirits veterans Dick Newman, Willie Pratt, and Marshall Berkowitz in 2003 to craft the new Michter’s yeast, mash bill, and general flavor profile as we know it today. The second phase was to contract distill from a Kentucky-based distillery to lay down barrels to their specifications. By 2014, phase three was fulfilled when a Shively Kentucky location was purchased. Six months after a new still was installed, Michter’s was distilling and filling its barrels to match their previous contract distilling specifications and stopped sourcing in 2015. (Source – Whiskey Advocate Article 3/14/2024). In the Micther’s US*1 Bourbon Tasting Notes section of Fred Minnick’s book, “Bourbon Curious,” Fred mentions the Shively KY-based distillery as Brown-Forman and said that the mash bill for US*1 is 79/11/10 (the same as Early Times/King of Kentucky).
Of Bomberger’s Declaration bourbon, Michter’s website says, “This 2024 release of Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey continues the flavorful tradition of using bourbon aged in Chinquapin (Quercus muehlenbergi) oak. The Chinquapin oak was naturally air dried and seasoned for three years before being toasted and charred to our exacting specifications. This year’s release also includes bourbon with malted rye in the recipe.” Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Michter’s Distillery.
Proof: 108, barrel entry proof is 103.
Age: NAS.
Batch: 24F22B5, bottle 746 of 2005.
Mash bill: Undisclosed.
Price: $120.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
I love this flavor profile from the get-go, starting with its rich barrel character. Crème brûlée, dark brown sugar, maple, toasted oak, chocolate, sandalwood, and vanilla beans. At the same time, I’m getting fruit flavors of Maraschino cherries, peaches, and red berries with nutmeg, cloves, black tea, and allspice. This nose is right up my alley, and the blend is incredible.
Palate
With a medium viscous mouthfeel, the nose moves on to the palate with caramelized brown sugar, toffee, toasted oak, vanilla, cherries, apricots, black tea, cloves, and nutmeg, with a delicate balance of allspice that covers the palate mid-sip. The taste is excellent and complex, and drinks dangerously easy with very little proof heat. What’s also impressive is the amount of flavor this packs for its proof, which I credit to its low barrel entry proof. I also love how each sip differs as various flavors weave in and out.
Finish
The finish lingers with a complex mix of allspice, toffee, toasted oak, maple, brown sugar, chocolate, vanilla, cherries, apricots, sage, and nutmeg. As soft allspice fades, cherries, toffee, sandalwood, and tobacco continue with tasty oak at the end of a long, delicate finish with no bitterness or dryness.
Conclusion
The Chinquapin Oak influence is subtle but noticeable in ways that are hard to describe. One of the more unique notes I picked up was sandalwood, a flavor I get with Japanese Mizunara oak. I’m a fan of malted rye, but it was hard to tell how much it influenced this profile without a comparison. Luckily, a friend gave me a sample of the 2022 Bomberger’s Declaration, which in 2022 didn’t have the malted rye component. In comparison, the difference was very obvious. I preferred this 2024 Bomberger’s release due to its upfront fruit and herbal flavors with a more complex and elevated profile.
I’ve read the gamut of Bomberger’s supposed age range, but regardless, this release doesn’t taste like it’s batched from very young barrels and, for what it’s worth, tastes more mature than the 2022 release. Besides loving this flavor profile, I appreciate how it’s purposely well-crafted to be incredibly flavorful and complex without needing to be a high-proof banger. I highly recommend this release if you find it at retail or close to it.
Rating: 8.9/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
