Middle West Spirits Wheated Bourbon "Stagg Smasher" TSR Pick
Sometimes, I find myself tasting so many things that despite the endless variation possible, the whiskies start to blend together. That’s usually when I take a few days off, reset my palate, and start blind tasting to recalibrate.
Then, pours like this come along.
Before now, I had never heard of let alone tried anything from Middle West Spirits. They were known to a few friends from Ohio and northern Kentucky, but definitely what I’d consider a regional brand rather than a national one. This bottle had me skip that classification entirely - it was that good.
Aged a little over four years in a new, charred 30-gallon barrel from Speyside Cooperage (both char and toasting level are proprietary and undisclosed), this barrel yielded only 84 bottles, with 44% evaporation. Picked by Taste Select Repeat founders OJ Lima and Pierre Auguste and Jeff Lam, this was nicknamed the “Stagg Smasher”. Why? No clue - Stagg isn’t wheated, isn’t matured in 30-gallon barrels, and is aged much longer…but hell, put this pick against Stagg or Stagg Jr. in a blind and see what happens.
As for Middle West Spirits, this bottle puts them squarely in my sights. I want to try more, I want to see what they’re all about. I’ve tried plenty of 30-gallon barrel barrel proof products, and maybe one or two could stand up to this in complexity, depth of flavor, and balance at this age (or any age, frankly). Seriously impressive stuff - can’t wait to see what’s next.
Middle West Spirits Wheated Bourbon "Stagg Smasher" TSR Pick: Specs
Classification: Wheated Bourbon
Origin: Middle West Spirits
Mashbill: 68% Corn, 16% Wheat, 11% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Proof: 126.6 (63.3% ABV)
Barrel #: 1662, 30 Gallon
Age: 4 Years, 2 Months, 6 Days.
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Middle West Spirits Wheated Bourbon "Stagg Smasher" TSR Pick Price: $78, sold out.
Middle West Spirits Wheated Bourbon "Stagg Smasher" TSR Pick Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Armagnac dark - beautiful. Thin rims and almost no legs.
Nose: Wow that’s good…the over-sugared piece of caramel corn with honey roasted peanuts. Solid proof heat up the nostrils. The grains are all there - sweet corn, peppery rye, creamy wheat, and malty body.
Palate: The proof is out to play here, stinging the tongue on the first sip. So much flavor - peppery rye, pink peppercorn caramel with mild oak spice and dark chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and creamy, opening more heat and more chocolate with tongue-tingling spice.
Finish: Beautiful pink peppercorn in caramel again, soft but sweet. Smoky barrel char surges at the end on a medium-length finish.
Overall: This is a beauty. Hot, sweet, pepper, creamy. More of a Stagg Jr. than a GTS if it’s smashing something, but damn this is great. Wish I had another because this bottle won’t last long.
Final Rating: 8.2
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)
More Private Pick Reviews
