The Schtick: A new release for 2025, this is Bomberger’s Declaration 2025 PFG (Precision Fine Grain) – a new release from the Michter’s brand that falls under their Legacy Series. Secondary maturation of “fully mature” Bomberger’s takes place in a custom charred/toasted French oak barrel that’s made up of staves seasoned for 40 months (a good deal more than usual).
I’ll admit, the color is remarkably darker than the already pleasantly hued Bomberger’s so there’s bound to be some serious tannin here. I’ve really come to love what Michter’s has done in recent Bomberger’s / Schenk’s releases, so let’s see how this fares as well!
Disclosure: Sample provided for review by Michter’s
Review #2580 | Bourbon Review #1114
Distiller: Undisclosed
Bottler: Michters
Brand: Michters
Selection: N/A
ABV: 50.1% ABV
Age: NAS
Nose: Fat and rich on the nose: tons of baking spice, toffee, mocha, black pepper, candied ginger, brown butter and creme brulee. It’s spicy, sweet, decadent and dessert driven on the nose.
Taste: Rich on the palate. It’s rich and syrupy: driven by mocha and cocoa, black pepper, rich oak. The french oak pops quite a bit – reminds me of my favorite MMPS releases but yet, even better. Big oak, lovely caramels, warm maple syrup and a bready, decadent, creme brulee sweetness. Just when it feels like it might be too spicy, sweetness pops in. Just when it feels like the oak might hit a little too hard, the desserty character holds it back.
Finish: Long finish, tons of woody spice, cocoa, toffee and caramels, rich tobacco, maple. The finish hangs on really wonderfully, especially when you consider all of this richness in a 100pf pour. Decadent.
Overall: Honestly, I quite like Bomberger’s but this is a handy step above. Tremendously rich, tons of character, and no shortage of flavor at 100.2pf means this is a monster – I’d love to see more producers uncorking this kind of complexity at lower proofs. Incredible stuff. Maybe the PFG should mean “Pretty F*cking Good?” instead?
Thanks for reading!
Rank:8
The T8KE Scale Decoded:
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
One response
If you’re on the fence about paying secondary for this, do it; you won’t be sorry. The best way to describe this drinking experience is ‘circular’. Wonderfully expressive notes… heavy on the baking spices and oak with just enough sweetness to keep it in balance. But from there… wow. After the neck pour, the first thing I’m getting now that I’m well into the bottle is grape jam. Not just the flavors of grape jam, but the real viscosity, almost a gelatinous sensation, that goes with jam. From there a deep enveloping oak takes over, but the oak is never bitter or astringent. The best way to describe it is satisfying… it gets in deep the same way a bowl of chicken soup gets into you when you have a cold or the way a good cup of tea gets into you on a snowy night. It just hits right. The finish has a good amount of heat, more than I would expect for a 100.2 proofer, and after the initial palate wears off it makes a comeback with hints of shoe polish and old library book, subtle, secondary impressions that are pitch perfect.
This is a great bourbon. For the (even admittedly not cheap) price, it’s Mount Rushmore type stuff.
BBC Discovery 11… Kentucky Owl Batch 11… Evan Williams 12 Year… Booker’s Country Ham Batch… it joins the roster…