Michter’s Legacy Series is something of an experimental line for the distillery, often showcasing unique grain selections and oak varietals for maturation. Bomberger’s Declaration, the first in the series, hit shelves in 2015 with Shenk’s Homestead following not long after, and in recent years each release has been tweaked in unique ways, however slightly. The two offerings were the extent of the Legacy Series lineup until this winter, when Michter’s announced the release of a brand-new addition, Bomberger’s PFG.

Built on the DNA of the standard Bomberger’s straight bourbon, this latest release distinguishes itself by spending an unspecified period of time finishing in a specialty barrel that’s a real word salad to articulate: a new, custom, proprietary toasted and charred French, precision fine grain oak barrel (hence the PFG acronym to simplify things). More on these special barrels, per Michter’s:

The Bomberger’s PFG finishing barrel is a blend of wood from various origins, including the revered Tronçais, Allier, Nevers, and Vosges forests. It is constructed from wood that has been naturally air dried outdoors for a minimum of 40 months in France near the Charente River, which has a unique seasoning environment influenced by humidity, microflora creation, climate, wind direction, and elevation. After this seasoning, the staves are hand selected to construct the Bomberger’s PFG finishing barrels.

That’s more than you probably ever wanted or needed to know about a barrel. But Michter’s is nothing if not wood-focused, toasting all their casks before charring and popularizing secondary barrel finishing with its Toasted series. The distillery is even helmed by both a Master of Maturation and a Master Distiller. So, yeah. They’re bonkers about their barrels. Anyway, let’s see how this latest adventure in oak fares, shall we?

Bomberger’s PFG (2025) Tasting Notes

The aroma is rich and silky with top notes of milk chocolate, ginger, sandalwood, and a bit of Chinese five spice. Fans of Michter’s Toasted lineup will find some of that familiar, but the French oak feels even more well-integrated than the secondary American oak aging in those releases, which, by design, tend to give bigger, bolder chocolate, char, and coffee notes. Instead, there’s an elegance here with concentrated yet gentle tannins, a lacing of dark caramel, perfectly toasted sugar, rosemary syrup, and well-worn leather. It’s the kind of complexity typically reserved only for the oldest Michter’s releases.

The palate is lush and round, presenting early notes of golden butterscotch, coffee beans, and dark cocktail cherry that simmer with an easy, soothing warmth. The fruit notes build on the midpalate with dark berry jam and black cherry cola underpinned by cinnamon syrup and a bit of well-baked gingerbread. All of that dark fruit recedes on the finish, which is gently spiced and long with accents of chocolate mint and clove chewing gum.

This isn’t the first time Michter’s has experimented with French oak. Shenk’s sour mash whiskey has included a portion of French oak-aged whiskey going back at least to the 2022 release. While those have all been enjoyable, it’s clear from this newest release that Bomberger’s works even better with this unique secondary finishing. It’s a home run for Michter’s and my new favorite of the Legacy Series lineup.

100.2 proof.

A / $140 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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