Bourbon

Bomberger's Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024)

$120

OVERALL
RATING

8

Whiskey Review: Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024)

Tasting Notes:

About:
A bourbon with malted rye in its mash bill that’s had some aging in Chinquapin oak air-dried and seasoned outdoors for 36 months before toasting and charring. It is bottled at 108 proof and priced at $120.
Appearance:
This whiskey has a vibrant reddish amber color in the glass, offering moderate legs and viscosity.
Nose:
The initial aromatics suggest a sweeter vanilla, cherry cola-type consideration with a strong backbone of oak. There are also hints of bubble gum, maple, delicious red apples, and an undercurrent of freshly baked rye bread.
Palate:
As one takes a sip, strong rye spice, and baking vanilla abound on the palate, bonded together with an interesting Red Vines twist. Also of note are tastes of burnt orange, black pepper, raw almonds, and dried cherries.
Finish:
This finishes a bit spicy, sweet, and a little oaky, carrying itself to the end before a length fade.
Comments:
Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024) showcases the power of using Chinquapin oak particularly well while also leaving some room for other flavors to emerge. If you can find a bottle, it’s a good bourbon for the home bar.
Bomberger's Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024) review
We review Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024), the latest Bomberger’s bottling that’s part of a yearly series paying homage to Michter’s storied past. (image via Michter’s)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

Michter’s Distillery is one of the more popular Kentucky distilleries today. This brand’s legacy started in 1753 in Pennsylvania and, through many twists and turns, ultimately ended up in Kentucky under the still-ongoing leadership of Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco.

While the Michter’s of 2024 has a decidedly forward-looking agenda that is Kentucky-centric, Magliocco and company look to honor the brand’s history through its Legacy Series, a yearly two-bottle, vintage-dated offering that also lets the distillery team play outside the usual Michter’s sandbox in that each release differs from those of previous years. 

“While there is some continuity from year to year, our production team makes creative adjustments to each edition of these whiskeys,” said Magliocco when this year’s bottlings were unveiled.

The two offerings in this lineup, Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey and Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon, play to the history timeline as follows: In 1753, Swiss Mennonite farmer John Shenk founded Shenk’s distillery in Pennsylvania. This distillery was later renamed Bomberger’s Distillery in the 1800s before its name changed again to Michter’s Distillery in the mid-20th Century.

What’s in the bottle

The whiskey being reviewed here, Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2024), has some malted rye in its recipe as its variation.

“The 2024 edition of Bomberger’s continues the use of some Chinquapin (Quercus muehlenbergii) oak to accentuate the dark chocolate and stewed fruit notes in this big whiskey that are then complemented by the spice notes offering a bold, rich, balanced complexity and a long lingering warm finish for your drinking indulgence,” said Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson of it.

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At the time of this bourbon’s release, it was noted that this year’s Chinquapin oak was air-dried and seasoned outdoors for 36 months before toasting and charring.

Bomberger’s is 108 proof (54% ABV) and has a U.S. suggested retail price of $120.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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