For the July edition of the monthly community review, the /r/bourbon community choose Stagg Jr. I’ve covered that product a few times before but the TLDR; is it’s a younger version of George T. Stagg that is aged “nearly a decade“, runs about $55, and is considerably more attainable than its older namesake. While the first batch from a few years ago started off as nearly undrinkable pepper spray, batch two was a little better with batch 3 finally landing a home run. With the rocky start I think there is still a bit of stigma around the product so I thought it would be fun to run through all of the new batches to see if they hold up.
Stagg Jr. #4 (132.2)
No Age Statement; 66.1% ABV; $55
Nose: Smells like 8-9 years in oak. Lots of your typical vanillas and caramels and a little rye spice bite. The heat is well tamed for 130+ proof though it’s worth noting this bottle has been opened for quite a while now.
Taste: Loads of wood sugar and all the intensity you’d expect from 132 proof. The sweet flavors aren’t as dark as what you find in the older Stagg but they aren’t light either - it’s more like milk chocolate than dark fudge. There are the beginnings of some older wood funk in there but it’s nowhere near bitter. Some slight rye spice bite comes in towards the finish and dark pit fruit like cherries underlie the taste from start to finish. This is what condensed cherry Coke would taste like at 130 proof.
Thoughts: A great middle aged barrel proof bourbon. Not quite up to the level of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, but pretty much on par with the 3rd Stagg Jr. batch.
Rating: B+ / B
Stagg Jr. #5 (129.7)
No Age Statement; 64.85% ABV; $55
Nose: Pretty much just like the previous batch. Smells like a barrel proof ~8 year old low rye bourbon. Heaps of wood sweets with a dash of rye kick. For nearly 130 proof, it surprisingly doesn’t burn your nose off.
Taste: Again lots of syrupy wood sugar, cherries, and more pepper than the previous batch. Other than that last bit, it’s more or less like batch 4.
Thoughts: Of the most recent batches, this slightly spicier the other two. It’s more like cherry Dr. Pepper than cherry Coke. It seems to have slightly less age and depth to it and combined with the more prevalent spice, makes it my least favorite of the three. Having said that, it’s still a really great barrel proof bourbon and I buy it again at retail.
Rating: B / B+
Stagg Jr. #6 (132.5)
No Age Statement; 66.25% ABV; $55 (thanks to /u/mfpark for the bottle split)
Nose: Softer, sweeter, and more fruity/cherry forward than the other two batches. Even though it lends to the sweet side there are still some minty menthol spice notes. It definitely smells like it has some age as there is a little old wood funk though I would have guessed it was a bit lower than 134 proof.
Taste: Pretty spot on with the nose making it the most unique of all the batches I’ve tried before. The sweet chocolate and fruity cherry notes are very forward and when combined with a slight peppery rye punch it makes for a really intense sweet and spicy combo.
Thoughts: Of the three most recent batches, this is the sweetest of the bunch. If the other two batches are like barrel proof cherry soda, this is more like a liquid barrel proof chocolate covered cherry. I had to pick a favorite amongst the three, this would be it.
Rating: B+
Overall I feel like Buffalo Trace has really dialed these in and it’s really living up to its namesake now. Truth be told, it’s really splitting hairs to judge these side by side as the profile and quality is solid. If not rating them side by side I probably would have just said they were all B+ and called it a day. I feel the same way now about this product as I do Elijah Craig Barrel Proof in that there’s no reason to really review it anymore because it’s very consistent.
Value: I don’t factor price into my ratings. At retail price, every batch of this from batch 3 onward is a great deal. In this price category I would reach for Elijah Craig Barrel Proof first but in the absence of that, this is a great alternative to the bottle of George T. Stagg you’ll likely never see.
Just redid your exact experiment and agree with the conclusion. #5 is clearly the worst, better than #1, but I honestly wouldn't buy another bottle. Happy Spirits on Clement in SF have few.
ReplyDelete#6 and #4 are great, I also slightly prefer the former. Got another one for retail now.