Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 93 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 54% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $120.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2025-08-19 |
Bomberger's Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2025) Review
Kentucky-based Michter’s recently announced its annual duo of Legacy Series whiskeys, which for the past half decade has included both Bomberger’s Declaration Bourbon and Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey. Earlier in 2025, the brand added a third entrant to its Legacy Series — Bomberger’s Precision Fine Grain Bourbon — which will be another ongoing annual bottling, though not necessarily tied to the same release schedule as its siblings.
Today, we’re looking at the 2025 version of Bomberger’s Declaration, a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey first released in 2014. It’s named in honor of the historic Bomberger’s Distillery, which eventually became the Michter’s Distillery in Pennsylvania. That historic facility ceased operations in the 1980s, and these days, the resurrected brand distills and operates out of Shively, Ky.
As with previous versions, Bomberger’s Declaration is bottled at 108 proof. Similar to last year’s release, the bourbon was aged across a variety of cask types, which included relatively rare Chinquapin barrels. According to Michter’s master of maturation Andrew Wilson, the barrels used in this release were “constructed from wood naturally seasoned outdoors in varying cases from 18 months to 3 years to 4 years to 5 years thus changing the chemistry of the oak's contributions during aging.”
The bottle we’re reviewing today comes from Batch #25F1997. Let’s see how it tastes!
Bomberger's Declaration 2025: Stats and Availability
Bomberger’s Declaration carries an MSRP of $120. It’s a limited release that does receive nationwide distribution both on- and off-premise. And while retail markups and secondary pricing have generally dipped a little bit in recent years, this is still a bottle that may take a little searching to find at MSRP in many markets. That said, it doesn’t command the markups of some other bottles in the Michter’s lineup, particularly the 10- and 20-year age-stated releases. For reference, I generally see this listed for between $120 and $160 in major metropolitan markets.
Bomberger's Declaration 2025 Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
The nose leads with a wave of Bananas Foster, followed by a distinct scent of sour mash. It’s a sweet, slightly funky duo of aromas that doesn’t dominate for very long, quickly transitioning to brighter orchard fruit (pear and apricot), saltwater taffy, moderately dark toffee, and spiced berry compote. Vanilla frosting and black raisins add increasing sweetness that helps temper the effect of ethanol, which feels right in line for what one expects from a 108 proof bourbon; the alcohol is impactful, but rarely if ever numbing.
Scents get progressively more spiced with time in the glass, and a lingering combo of baking spice and sourdough bread evokes hot cross buns, straight out of the oven. A hefty dose of oak builds, the nose showcasing the influence of those heavily seasoned barrel staves. There’s a theory to this: Michter’s utilizes one of the industry’s lowest barrel entry proofs at 103, which may allow for the whiskey to pick up more naturally occurring wood sugars. (Sugars tend to be more soluble in water compared to alcohol.)
Though different elements waft in and out on this year’s Bomberger’s, that sweet, cooked, nearly overripe banana pervades, even if it loses some intensity over time.
Taste
A first sip hits like Hawaiian sweet rolls, with a tiny bit of breadiness meeting the whiskey’s early sweetness head on. Both cherry syrup and cherry hard candy are up next, along with tart mulberries and lightly sweetened cranberry sauce. Flavors get more heavily spiced with each return to the glass, and bright fruit transitions to cooked and heavily spiced reductions, including apple butter and strawberry jam.
It’s a fascinating intersection of tart, sweet, and woody, oak coming on strong just before the midpalate and holding onto the wheel for the remainder of the journey. But in this particular case, that doesn’t necessarily mean overpowering tannins or dryness. Instead, there’s a progression of dark chocolate, gingersnaps, and fruit compote, all ensconced by both barrel char and toasted oak. Tiny pops of burnt sage and thyme bring both herbs and their own unique tannins. Additionally, this year’s release features a pronounced salinity that’s especially noticeable alongside the continuing influence of chocolate.
Inherently complex on the palate, this iteration of Bomberger’s Declaration exists across a fairly broad flavor spectrum. Expect a few sips (or more) for the full range of flavors to develop.
Finish
On the finish, that salt-and-chocolate pairing recedes to leave mostly dark cocoa, chocolate-covered espresso beans, dark praline, and — surprise, surprise — lots more seasoned oak; a quick burst of apple butter lends a bit of welcome fruit. It’s a nuanced and relatively restrained finish, drinking noticeably below its ABV without sacrificing much in the way of flavor.
Bomberger's Declaration 2025 Rating
93/100
Recap
The 2025 edition of Bomberger’s Declaration Bourbon is quite approachable, but it’s probably a disservice to call this one a simple sipper. Each element of the experience — nose, palate, and finish — has plenty of reveals, and it’s easy to pick up on new aromas and flavors with each return to the glass. I wouldn’t compare it directly to some of Michter’s age-stated releases (including the almost always great 10-year bourbon), but there’s certainly a link to be drawn across the brand’s modern bourbon releases: a patient approach to maturation that lets the wood do lots of the talking. As with its siblings Shenk’s and the newer Bomberger’s Precision Fine Grain, Bomberger’s Declaration is always a little different from one year to the next. That’s a huge part of the fun.
*Image retrieved from Michter's
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