George T. Stagg Bourbon 2014
George T. Stagg Bourbon 2014: Specs
Classification: Bourbon
Origin: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace High-Rye Mashbill (#1)
Proof: 138.1 (69.05% ABV)
Age: 16 Years 4 Months
Location: Kentucky
George T. Stagg Bourbon 2014 Price: N/A
George T. Stagg Bourbon 2014 Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Ocher - beautiful. Thin rims hold droplet legs.
Nose: Muted - the Stagg profile is there, but hiding at first. Proof heat does start prickling my nostrils alongside cherries and brown sugar being flambeed.
Palate: Ooh there’s the George T. Stagg we all love. Nice and spicy all over the tongue with hot brown sugar candies. The heat calms quickly but is quite enjoyable. Cherry cough syrup builds, a bit bitter, tannic oak. Red fruits in a brown-sugar-topped crumble. Mouthfeel is spicy, oaky, lets some semisweet chocolate seep into the mix. The oak does lessen in favor of the chocolate.
Finish: Chocolatey, the heat returning for a final appearance, deliciously heavy with brown sugar and Luxardo cherries.
Overall: Drinks a bit hotter than the proof (even though the proof is already approaching hazmat territory) but the brown sugar and cherries are great as always. Not the absolute best George T. Stagg - you’ll have to look at 2007, 2016, or 2020 for me - but damn good.
Final Rating: 8.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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