Bomberger's Declaration (2019 Release)

The proof really comes up on this pour, big cinnamon/caramel notes with some heat. Would definitely order again.

Buttery, lemongrass, caramel, slight burn, burnt sugar,

Rating: 15/23 Surprisingly, this starts with a bit of cola (or maybe root beer) but without that usual metallic flavor. There's some prickly spice with a decent amount of wood, but it's not a tremendous amount. Although the wood avoids being a big flat bitter weight, it lacks substantial maturity and complexity. Fortunately, there's some other stuff going on in here, so the overall complexity is decent. I don't get the excitement about this. It isn't that robust or mature. I'd call it fairly comparable to Elijah Craig Small Batch. I thought about giving it a 14, but considering how close it is to Elijah Craig Small batch I landed on 15.

Black cherries and brown sugar on the nose. Palate is sweet and a little sour, with notes of black pepper and candied fruit, followed by a spicy finish. Very pleasant.