Stagg Jr. Batch 14

A little background

If there was ever to be a Mount Rushmore of bourbon one name on the shortlist would and should be George T. Stagg. The venerable Buffalo Trace Distillery bore his name for nearly a century before being rechristened. His name is on what is usually the powerhouse, 15+ yr cask strength KSBW, of the ultra limited Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, and in 2013 the distillery started releasing a younger version of this whiskey aptly named Stagg Jr. All I remember from the early releases is that they were very hot and overly unimpressive. So, after a few years of avoided Stagg Jr. like the plague, I decided to pull the trigger on the newest (Batch 14) release and see if the blending has improved. Retail price of around $55.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Medium Amber

Nose

You might need to ease into this one because there is a noticeable initial blast of ethanol. Once Adjusted a nuanced bouquet of scents emerge such as rose water, apricot pie, sweet creme, and fresh apple peels. Caramel sneaks in after a few minutes in the glass.

Palate

Tart and spicy. Cinnamon sprinkled apple tart and toasted brown sugar. The heat is still present but not as evident as on the nose and there is a growing bitterness.

Finish

Bitter orange rind and menthol dominate which provides an interesting rye whiskey twist that may not be for everyone, but I love rye whiskey so I cannot complain.

In closing

Given my past experiences with Stagg Jr., I was a little apprehensive about even purchasing this bottle, but I decided it was time to give it another shot. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by this batch and if the sweetness had carried over a little more from the nose I could see this being on par with some recent limited-edition releases. As it stands it’s a really good “shelfer” cask strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that unfortunately doesn’t see the shelf as much as it used to.