Kentucky’s Michter’s Distillery has announced the July release of its Legacy Series. The series pays homage to the distillery’s heritage through two expressions: Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey and Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Michter’s origins date back to 1753, when John Shenk founded Shenk’s Distillery in Pennsylvania. The distillery was renamed Bomberger’s Distillery in the 1800s, before finally becoming Michter’s Distillery in the 20th century.

Each year, the Legacy Series’ Shenk’s and Bomberger’s expressions differ slightly, and are vintage dated with the year of bottling. “This year’s release of Shenk’s and Bomberger’s is a reflection of the passion the team has for making exciting whiskeys with a thoughtful touch of exploration,” commented Michter’s master of maturation Andrea Wilson.

For the 2024 Shenk’s release, the distillery used caramel malt for the first time alongside rye and malted rye. The caramel malt “offers a nice creaminess to complement the whiskey’s herbaceous qualities and notes of spice”, according to master distiller Dan McKee. The casks used to age the whiskey included air-dried French oak, seasoned for 24 months before toasting.

Chinquapin oak was used in the maturation of the 2024 Bomberger’s release, air dried and seasoned outdoors for 36 months, followed by toasting and charring. Wilson explained: “The 2024 edition of Bomberger’s continues the use of some Chinquapin (Quercus muehlenbergii) oak to accentuate the dark chocolate and stewed fruit notes in this big whiskey that are then complemented by the spice notes offering a bold, rich, balanced complexity and a long lingering warm finish for your drinking indulgence.”

Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey (45.6% ABV) has an RRP of US$110 and Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (54% ABV) has an RRP of US$120. Both whiskeys will be released in July.