Stagg Jr. – Fall ’13

Hi all! I’ve been on a bit of a Scotch kick lately, as it turns out I ended up swapping for a ton of Scotch, and have a limit on what I can have!

So for Easter, after only having one Scotch, I jumped around to the other Spirits I enjoy, and ended up at Bourbon as the grand finale.

Special thanks to /u/tvraisedme[1] for this sample. Seriously, I shared this sample with my father, who is a big fan of George T. Stagg 2012, so this was quite a treat for him.

So Easter’s an odd time to year. I’m not particularly religious (at all), so it has turned into another Thanksgiving in our family, which is pretty cool. Oh, and there’s ham, which is what Jesus would have wanted I guess.

Anyway, I had an amazing Easter. Relaxing, doing reviews, sharing thoughts on samples. Good time overall. So when we got to Stagg Jr., I was hesitant to try it.

I’ve read a lot of reviews on here that say it’s just not worth it, which is too bad. I was worried I’d hype it up to much. And then I read that this year’s Stagg Sr. didn’t live up to past years, so I guess it all made sense.

Stagg. Jr. is made by Buffalo Trace distillery. It’s younger than the older Stagg (says nearly a decade, so that’s ambiguous, others say between 8 and 9 years), it’s barrel strength, and it goes about as fast up here as the regular stuff. This is the first batch out the door.

Let’s see how it holds up

Price: N/A in Ontario

Region: Kentucky

Abv: 67.2%

Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1

Colour: Dark Caramel

Nose: Alcohol, floral, Mexican vanilla extract, corn, cayenne, passion fruit, root beer, cinnamon

At first you’re blasted with a ton of alcohol, like being in college, only it lasts longer. After letting it breathe for quite awhile, eventually there was a strong vanilla, fruit, and spice flavours, popping up all over the place.

This is not for the weak of heart, that’s for certain. My father eventually has to go for ice, and loves it after that. I use a drop of water, however not much changes for me.

Taste: Caramel, hot, cinnamon hearts, anise, vanilla, popcorn, butter

Wow. Very butter. Much heat. So caramel.

It’s hot still. Water does nothing. Send for help. Seriously though, it’s really buttery and tasty after letting it breathe. Water didn’t change much, though it cuts down the heat.

Finish: Butter, zucchini flowers, burnt caramel, cumin, pepper, moonshine

That moonshine finish hurts. A lot. I guess I should write “grain alcohol” or “white alcohol”, but it reminded me of moonshine, so I stick with it. There’s a rough burnt flavour too. Not liking that too much.

Conclusion: Honestly, if I could buy this for $50, I would. It’s a good, slightly higher level whisky to have on hand. Is it as good as Sr? Hell no, what are you, new? But taken as it is, it’s a nice, hot whisky to have. I’d prefer Buffalo Trace just a little bit more, as it was nicer to drink.

Good first try, let’s try better on batch 2 there gents.

82/100

Bourbon review #13, Kentucky #11, Whiskey Network review #217

1001 Whiskies to taste before you die review #124

101 Whiskies to try before you die review #36