Michter’s Precision Fine Grain Bourbon (2025)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

The thing about Michter’s Legacy Series is one could be forgiven for forgetting it exists. This is because from its inception, the series has consisted of two brands: Bomberger’s and Shenk’s. Both of those have been around for years, with the pair being spins on the company’s bourbon and sour mash whiskeys respectively, the spin being that part of the whiskey used in batching was aged in Chinquapin Oak. Rather than thinking of them as something to build on with various new takes and tweaks, they became just Bomberger’s and Shenk’s in the minds of many.

But now Michter’s is building on the pair with a new release, Bomberger’s Precision Fine Grain (or PFG). Instead of partial Chinquapin maturation, this tweak takes the bourbon (complete with Michter’s customary 103 entry proof) and gives it a finish in toasted and charred new French oak casks. The staves for those casks were air dried for an exceptional 40 months or more. From there, the whiskey receives Michter’s proprietary filtration and is bottled at 100.2 proof.

The Bourbon
The French oak really shines in the color, quite literally, because it’s a gorgeous, deeply reddened and dark tinting of amber. The nose mixes up strong currents of melted caramel and brown sugar with a bowl of freshly chopped, assorted mint leaves, with some cinnamon stick and clove thrown into the latter. Behind this there is a modest note of leathery oak.

Sipping on Bomberger’s PFG reveals that the flavor profile builds on that nose. The traditional bourbon brown sugar and vanilla sweetness plus spices of clove and cinnamon are still there, backed by that leathery oak, but add to that the continuing mint and now the additional note of tart cherries. Further sips showed me that the oak had been joined by a faint trace of tea tannin as well. The finish ran spicy, but fruity, before fading down to just the spicy part.

PFG is bold and flavorful, and I should say in my initial notes I gave it a B+/A-. Whenever that happens, my conservative nature and opposition to grade/rating inflation takes hold, and I almost invariably favor the B+, but it’s worth the reader knowing that I dithered over the matter. It’s a yummy whiskey and a worthy addition to Bomberger’s Declaration.

The Price
The suggested price for a bottle of Bomberger’s PFG Bourbon is $140.