Stagg Jr #4 (132.2) Ruby Port Finished Review

This is a sample that I was sent by a fellow redditor /u/Looney_Bin as part of a group review for /r/bourbon. The creator of this oddity started with a bottle of the fourth release of Stagg Jr (132.2) which he then aged in a small whiskey barrel that had previously held port, port finished another whiskey, then held port again.

While George T. Stagg is probably my favorite bourbon released every year, Stagg Jr has been a mixed bag. Batch one was more or less pepper spray and batch two wasn’t much better. Things really seemed to have turned around starting with batch three though as I felt it was the first in the lineup to be worthy of carrying the Stagg name. Having tasted batch three side by side with batch four, I find them nearly the same so hopefully that’s a sign that Buffalo Trace has really dialed in the brand.

The barrel used for port finishing

Regular batch 4 on the left, port finished on the right.

Color: I don’t usually remark on color but the port finish version is noticeably darker with some nice dark red undertones.

Nose: Very fruity and woodier than the non finished version. Lots of oak, lots of cherry, and some other sweet/funky fruit flavors I can’t quite pin down.

Taste: Like the nose, it’s very woody - even more so than the standard bottle. Not only is the port influence of the finishing coming through but a sharp green woodiness of the small barrel is evident as well. In addition to the extra dose of wood, there are more dark fruits and cherry over the standard version. The finish is where I find it deviates the least from the standard - it’s mostly lots of spice driven angry heat and dark fudgy sweets that are the calling card of the Stagg line for me.

Thoughts: This experiment turned out a wash as I prefer the standard product. The port notes added some nice fruity complexity and softened the edges up a bit but the small barrel imparted too many harsh young wood notes. This comes back to what I’ve heard about these small home barrel kits not really being that great for aging whiskey very gracefully and I could only imagine how bad aging white dog in one of these would be. I think it’s safe to say these are best left to aging cocktails.