Does anyone know anything about these?

[vismatt]

I picked these two up Friday.  Bomberger's Declaration and Shenk's Homestead.  They appear from the labels to be limited releases - The Bomberger's says 2139 bottles and the Shenk's says 2075 bottles.  Both say there are from Michter's Distillery.  

 

I hadn't ever seen either and couldn't really find anything in a google search.

 

Does anyone know anything about these?

[DCFan]

I've never heard of these but I am curious where you bought them and what you paid.

[kevinbrink]

These are the first of the Michter's distilled juice, someone I follow on Twitter posted pics a month or so ago but I don't recall whom.  They did a nice job on the packaging, I will never buy them since they are Michter's. 

[DCFan]

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/american-whiskey/scrabble-bombergers-name-ends-review-bottles-started/

 

This was an easy google search item. It doesn't put these products or company in a good light.

[kevinbrink]

39 minutes ago, DCFan said:

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/american-whiskey/scrabble-bombergers-name-ends-review-bottles-started/

 

This was an easy google search item. It doesn't put these products or company in a good light.

Those older bottlings that were reviewed in the article are different then the current releases, being lower proof and IIRC (could be wrong) sourced.

[vismatt]

1 hour ago, kevinbrink said:

Those older bottlings that were reviewed in the article are different then the current releases, being lower proof and IIRC (could be wrong) sourced.

 

Yes.  This is a new release from Michters and not the ones mentioned in the article.  

Edited June 12, 2017 by vismatt

[vismatt]

1 hour ago, DCFan said:

I've never heard of these but I am curious where you bought them and what you paid.

Bought them at Specs.  They were around $30 each.  

[tanstaafl2]

The Bomberger's was a sourced whiskey at one point. Never bought one and don't plan to but I have tried it and it wasn't bad. NAS as I recall but decent amount of age and fairly solid mouthfeel to me. B-F source perhaps as they seem to do a lot of sourcing from B-F.

 

On these new ones the Bomberger claims to be a straight whiskey on the label here. Does it have an age statement? I didn't think Michter's had been distilling long enough to have a 4 yo whiskey of their own yet.

[vismatt]

11 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

The Bomberger's was a sourced whiskey at one point. Never bought one and don't plan to but I have tried it and it wasn't bad. NAS as I recall but decent amount of age and fairly solid mouthfeel to me. B-F source perhaps as they seem to do a lot of sourcing from B-F.

 

On these new ones the Bomberger claims to be a straight whiskey on the label here. Does it have an age statement? I didn't think Michter's had been distilling long enough to have a 4 yo whiskey of their own yet.

 

No age statement, and the label on the back just says "bottled by Michter's", so no idea where it actually came from, but they do say on the front that they are "distilled and bottled in Kentucky."

Edited June 12, 2017 by vismatt

[tanstaafl2]

Well, either they still have 4+ yo sourced bourbon to bottle as "Bomberger's" (I don't see "Distilled by" noted anywhere on the label, just "Bottled by") and they have just changed the label from the previous version, they have been making bourbon for 4 years which I think is unlikely or the label doesn't meet the legal requirements.

 

It is Michter's after all so it is hard to know what to believe. But I doubt the Bomberger's contains any of the whiskey they are currently making.

 

Who knows what is in he Shenk's? And I am not really interested in finding out.

[kevinbrink]

11 minutes ago, vismatt said:

 

No age statement, and the label on the back just says "bottled by Michter's", so no idea where it actually came from, but they do say on the front that they are "distilled and bottled in Kentucky."

I could be mistaken then they could certainly still be sourced.

[musekatcher]

A dubious past and origin, but don't discount prematurely.  $30 might produce a couple of really enjoyable bourbons.  I've paid more, for $15 flavor.  However, I'd never buy these, being in wine bottles.  I detest seeing bourbon in wine bottles...

Edited June 12, 2017 by musekatcher

[flahute]

2 hours ago, musekatcher said:

A dubious past and origin, but don't discount prematurely.  $30 might produce a couple of really enjoyable bourbons.  I've paid more, for $15 flavor.  However, I'd never buy these, being in wine bottles.  I detest seeing bourbon in wine bottles...

You do realize don't you that the overwhelming majority of bourbon is distilled in column stills which more resemble the the "wine" bottle in your graphic above. 

[DeepCover]

I wouldn't spring for a bottle, but I'd gladly try a pour of Bomberger's at a bar. Lots of disdain for Michter's here I see.

[musekatcher]

5 hours ago, flahute said:

You do realize don't you that the overwhelming majority of bourbon is distilled in column stills which more resemble the the "wine" bottle in your graphic above. 

 

Maybe?:

 

 

Edited June 13, 2017 by musekatcher

[maybeling]

On 6/12/2017 at 4:32 PM, kevinbrink said:

I could be mistaken then they could certainly still be sourced.

 

I got a bottle of the Bombergers Declaration 108 today. A friend had poured some of the 100 proof for me a while back. Certainly smells and tastes like BF to me. Thanks to a sale at an online retailer it was $50, and after cracking it open I wouldn't mind having a few more.

Edited June 15, 2017 by maybeling

[Bob_Loblaw]

Resurrecting this old thread.  Have the option to pick up a bottle of the 2019.  $70-$80ish price range.  Think I saw someone picked up the Shenks in the purchase thread recently, but what say your Straight Bourbon?  I am likely passing at this point, can't afford every bottle anymore with the big increase in "limited products" along with price increases.  

[kevinbrink]

1 hour ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

Resurrecting this old thread.  Have the option to pick up a bottle of the 2019.  $70-$80ish price range.  Think I saw someone picked up the Shenks in the purchase thread recently, but what say your Straight Bourbon?  I am likely passing at this point, can't afford every bottle anymore with the big increase in "limited products" along with price increases.  

I'm the wrong person to ask because I unilaterally say no to Michter's products for a number of reasons, but over paying for something that is already not competitively priced seems even more undesirable. 

[Whiskeythink.com]

I got to try the new Bombergers a couple weeks ago. I was not impressed. Tasted too young. And at $80? Forget it. Lotsa good young bourbons out there for under $30.

[Bob_Loblaw]

2 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

I'm the wrong person to ask because I unilaterally say no to Michter's products for a number of reasons, but over paying for something that is already not competitively priced seems even more undesirable. 

I admit to not knowing all the history here and initially shunned Michter's for lack of transparency plus pricing.  But prices have gone up quite a bit over the last two years so they are not so obviously out of wack anymore.  Plus Bourbon is a fairly small pool (I am not counting craft distilleries)  so I ventured in as products were offered to me.  I have been pleasantly surprised, especially with the Limited Edition Barrel Proof Rye and Toasted Bourbon, both around $60-$70 if I recall correctly.  I'd buy both again, especially the Rye.  The 10 year Rye was lackluster and for the price/proof I would pass in the future.  Have not tried the 10 year Bourbon.  

 

In any case, I am not picking up either of the mentioned bottles.  Thanks for the help as always SB!  

Edited September 25, 2019 by Bob_Loblaw

[The Black Tot]

These two were released while Michter's was squeezing Stoll and Wolfe with lawsuits after S+W tried to propose using the Bomberger's name.

 

Like Joe Magliocco basically appropriated the Michter's brand because it had fallen out of some sort of patent, once he saw someone else try to use Bomberger's (Stoll and Wolfe are authentic Pennsylvania distillers, and Dick Stoll was the OLD Michter's master distiller), he pounced, sued, and almost squeezed the small startup out of business. The original PA Michter's distillery was originally called the Bomberger's distillery, if memory serves.

 

Presumably to strengthen his rights to these other two classic Pennsylvania brand names, he released these two sourced bourbon products as placeholders, to strengthen his claims to appropriating the brands for himself. Now he has a product bearing the name, and a precedent.

 

He's a real class act.

 

THAT's why we don't buy Michter's. And especially why we don't buy THESE, because these are literally part of the foundation for his appropriating another two historic Pennsylvania brands.

 

It takes a real special something to try and legally choke a startup distillery who has as one of it's partners the master distiller that built the reputation of the brand name that you ganked.

[n811]

57 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

THAT's why we don't buy Michter's.

Exactly.  I've never purchased anything of theirs and will never since I heard this whole story on WhiskyCast a few years back.  Total schmucks.  

[fosmith]

^^^  This +1

[Bob_Loblaw]

21 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

These two were released while Michter's was squeezing Stoll and Wolfe with lawsuits after S+W tried to propose using the Bomberger's name.

 

Like Joe Magliocco basically appropriated the Michter's brand because it had fallen out of some sort of patent, once he saw someone else try to use Bomberger's (Stoll and Wolfe are authentic Pennsylvania distillers, and Dick Stoll was the OLD Michter's master distiller), he pounced, sued, and almost squeezed the small startup out of business. The original PA Michter's distillery was originally called the Bomberger's distillery, if memory serves.

 

Presumably to strengthen his rights to these other two classic Pennsylvania brand names, he released these two sourced bourbon products as placeholders, to strengthen his claims to appropriating the brands for himself. Now he has a product bearing the name, and a precedent.

 

He's a real class act.

 

THAT's why we don't buy Michter's. And especially why we don't buy THESE, because these are literally part of the foundation for his appropriating another two historic Pennsylvania brands.

 

It takes a real special something to try and legally choke a startup distillery who has as one of it's partners the master distiller that built the reputation of the brand name that you ganked.

Thanks for the info!  I knew there was a lot of Michter's disgust on here, but had not heard much in the way of history.  Appreciate it.

[DaveD]

On 6/12/2017 at 12:35 PM, kevinbrink said:

I will never buy them since they are Michter's. 

May I ask why?