Stagg Jr. Batch 12 (Summer 2019)

Stagg Jr. Batch 12 (Summer 2019)

Buffalo Trace

66.15% ABV/132.3 Proof

NAS

Eye: Orange amber. Barely any rims, thin legs. 

Nose: The proof is more apparent than Batch 10. Smells like a strong bourbon, tons of caramel and vanilla. A good standard nose, nothing particularly special though.

Palate: Hot on the tip of my tongue and through the first sip. After the first sip, the flavor isn’t as strong, oddly. Heat sticks around, but doesn’t add to the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, coating and sticky.

Finish: Medium-to-long, drying but also coating. 

Overall: Not as good as Batch 10. It’s fine, a standard or even very good bourbon, but the heat needs to be tamped down to allow the flavors through. 

Rating: 5.8

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)