Note: This review of Whiskey Review: Michter’s Bomberger’s Declaration 2025 Edition reflects the personal opinions of Editor Kyle Swartz. This bottle was sent to him as a media sample.
This annual release from Michter’s Distillery aged, as usual, in a combination of Chinquapin oak and other barrels. For this year’s release, the producer used a variety of barrels made from wood naturally seasoned outdoors in varying cases from 18 months to five years. Bomberger’s Declaration 2025 is 108 proof, with a suggested retail price of $120 per 750-ml. bottle.
Nose
Dark red fruit for days, with plenty of sweet oak and caramel. The Chinquapin oak shines immediately, providing sweetness and baking spices. There’s sawdust and mixed nuts in there, too, along with an emerging heat. Wonderful nose, rich and robust.
Palate
That continues onto the palate, where the big red fruits are balanced by a bloom of cinnamon spice. Again, the Chinquapin oak shines, adding rich sweetness and layers of baking spices. Notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, mixed nuts, and medium oak. This does drink a little hotter than in previous years, however.
Finish
The finish is a tad thinner than in prior iterations. Still, red fruits and baking spices linger while the oak flavors become darker and even sweeter.
Upshot
As is typically the case with Bomberger’s, the Chinquapin oak is the star of the show. The result is a rich, robust, spicy bourbon that balances big flavors, pronounced heat (especially for only 108 proof), and a round mouthfeel. This is a little thinner and hotter than recent releases, so I do have this bottling ranked behind the 2024 and 2022 expressions, which were basically flawless. Still, and even at $120 — which is admittedly pricy — I think the 2025 Bomberger’s is a no-brainer buy. If you enjoy rich, spicy, big-flavored whiskey — and who doesn’t? — this is a bottle for you.
Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics. Reach him at kswartz@epgacceleration.com. Read his recent pieces, 8 Beverage Alcohol Trends in 2025 and Whiskey Review: Michter’s 10 Years Old Rye 2025 Edition.
