Michter’s announced on Wednesday that the brand is dropping Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey and Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon in July. The whiskeys honor the brand’s ancestral roots and showcase a lesser-known side to Michter’s.
Shenk’s Homestead clocks in at 91.2 proof and features a suggested retail price of $110. Bomberger’s hosts a more robust proof of 108 and a slightly elevated suggested price of $120.
Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee shared that this year’s release of Shenk’s Homestead was finished in toasted French oak barrels. McKee claimed the gentle toast amplified the distinctive character of the rye whiskey.
“I really enjoy the bold and lingering baking spice notes in the 2025 Shenk’s release,” said Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee, according to a news release. “Some of it was finished in French oak toasted, but not charred barrels crafted from wood grown in the Voseges forest, and this helped accentuate the character of the rye in this whiskey.”
Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson seemed partial to Bomberger’s Declaration, according to the news release, and expressed enthusiasm over the distinctive oak barrels used to mature the whiskey.
“I am so happy with the result,” Wilson expressed. “Once again, Chinquapin barrels have contributed to the hallmark flavor of Bomberger’s Declaration. For this year’s release, we used a spectrum of different barrels 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 result is a bold and multi-dimensional experience to savor and enjoy.”
The History Behind Michter’s Legacy Series
Before the two-time award-winning “World’s Most Admired Whiskey Brand” was Michter’s, it had two other names: Bomberger’s and Shenk’s Distillery. According to the brand, the Michter’s brand’s roots can be traced back to 1753, when a Swiss Mennonite farmer named John Shenk founded Shenk’s distillery. According to Michter’s, Shenk’s Distillery was America’s first whiskey company.
Shenk’s Distillery’s name eventually changed to Bomberger’s Distillery in the 1800s. The name changed once more to Michter’s in the 20th Century.
In 2025, Michter’s added another release to the brand’s Legacy Series, Bomberger’s Precision Fine Grain. Food & Wine reported that the whiskey spends time finishing in barrels composed of fine-grain French oak from forests within Tronçais, Allier, Nevers and Voseges. The staves spent time air-drying for a minimum of 40 months near the Charente River.
In terms of critical success, Bomberger’s new release faired pretty well, and if you want to know what we thought about it you can read T8ke’s review here.
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