Stagg Jr. Batch 10 (Spring 2018)

BourbonReviewsAmerican WhiskeyBuffalo TraceStagg

Oct 10

Stagg Jr. Batch 10 (Spring 2018)

This is the first Stagg Jr. batch I ever got to try. I love a high proof as much as anyone, and this doesn’t disappoint. The negatives I’d heard - acetone, too strong, too hot, etc. - weren’t present at all. Instead I got all the wonderful chocolate and stone fruit a high proof BT pick can give you. Other releases since this one have been as good, perhaps even better, but this is still my first and damn is it delicious.

Buffalo Trace

63.2% ABV/126.4 Proof

NAS

Eye: Pure amber, no rims…the liquid seeps back to the glass.

Nose: Lots of red fruit, berries, plums, with no hint of proof. Strong vanilla, sweetened cornbread. Artificial grape notes after some air.

Palate: Hot at first, but those fruits are still there. Strawberry fruit rollups/fruit leather. Cherries all over. Mouthfeel is tingly, coating and evaporative.

Finish: Carries the red fruit and strawberry straight through for a long and coating finish.

Overall: A bit hot, a bit one note, but it’s a note that I love. There’s heat, but it’s delicious and carries the fruit well. A hint of nuts at the end finish the pour well.

Rating: 7.6

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)