American Whiskey Review #51: Bomberger’s Declaration (2019 Release)

Distillery: Michter’s

Region: Kentucky

ABV: 54%

Age: NAS. Batch Number #19G1234

Color: 1.5, Aubern/Polished Mahogany.

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Nose: (according to the wife) Smells pretty nice. The first note is of a fistful of caramel candies, nice and sweet and a tinge of waxiness. Vanilla, a bit of oak, and nutmeg accompany this along with a but of nuttiness. There are also a few notes of dulce de leche.

Palate: Its fairly warm and sweet. It drinks almost like a warm, sugary tea. The longer I drink it, the more it tasted like a boba milk tea. There are a few notes of fruits in the form of currants and some dark cherries. A little bit of cola finds its way as well along with vanilla. Very tasty.

Finish: Medium to long in length. The vanilla continues here with just the right amount of oak as well as a hint of nutmeg.

Conclusion: This, along with its sibling release in Shenk’s Homestead, has dominated the feed of my local whiskey group in the last few weeks. While I’ve given up any hope of finding this on a shelf (the wife has imposed a bottle buying ban anyway), I figured I should give it a try to see what its all about. I have to say, it’s really tasty. The nose teases that it’s going to be a sweet and sugary treat with caramel candies and dulce de leche. The palate, while nice and sweet, manages to stay balanced with the notes of tea and cola balancing things out. The bits of fruit keep things interesting as well. The finish manages to find the Goldilocks zone of a “just right” amount of oak. Fantastic job by the folks at Michter’s. Would I buy a bottle? This one just might tempt me to risk the wrath of the boss to bring home.

Final Score: 87.

American Whiskey Review #51, Bourbon Review #38, Whisky Network Review #291

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.