George T. Stagg Bourbon (Fall 2018)

The nose is rich and full with a nice round and balanced scent. It smells like wood, but with some nice red fruit that goes in and out. There something a bit like wet wood on the nose, but if Joseph Magnus is good with wet wood why can't this be? A hint of tangerine comes through on the nose too. The palate is remarkably smooth for the proof with bitterness and some peppermint there balancing the bits of spices, but also mixing nicely with some mild, subtle herbal flavors and some light citrus. It doesn't come with that red fruit flavor. While it tastes more like E.H. Taylor Four Grain than Elmer T. Lee, it has that same Elmer execution that makes it delightful to drink. It's on the strong and hedonistic side being cask strength and the wood and smoke are a bit strong, but it all balances really nicely. Like, exceptionally so. This is a heck of a lot better than Stagg Jr. With some water, the citrus blends into the wood, revealing more cloves and tannins along with a tad of licorice. It's never as complex as Elmer T. Lee, but it is richer and tastes older. This is a fantastic drink that I would have on any occasion. If only I could afford it. The almond nuttiness and vanilla really help to balance it out in a delightful way. There's so much vanilla and cinnamon and clove flavor that make it taste delightful, yet it isn't harsh. The wood has a delightful rich toffee flavor. If Elmer T. Lee is grown up Evan Williams Black, this is grown up Jim Beam Black and improved Booker's Shiny Barrel. This has a bit more complexity than Booker's while maintaining the richness and presenting the wood in a favorable light. There's sooo much vanilla and it's delightful. There are no bad notes. It's a bit tannic and that could be a problem for some, but the tannins give the wood some additional life. There's ultimately no fruit or floral character and that isn't a problem. This is a bourbon with a woody purity that is delightfully easy to drink. Hedonistic and moderately complex with no bad notes. The cask strength helps it fill out its complexity. Occasional suggestions of fresh cherry jump out, but they are ultimately transient effects of the high proof (though they do appear when some amount of water is added). The flavor is so full and rich with plenty of vanilla sweetness. This is an excellent drink that unfortunately costs a hell of a lot. With the almond, I can see how Distiller got nutmeg. The tannic oak is there for sure. There's some cedar in the wood, but it's far from overwhelming. The baking spices are there for sure, though candied ginger is much harder to suss out. Black pepper is there and some mint can be detected, but spearmint seems like a mis-tasting that combines the other flavors in an unflattering way. Distiller largely hits the mark, but misses a lot of what makes this so terrific. It's hard to understate how excellent this bourbon is. If it had the complexity of Elmer T. Lee, if give it a perfect score. This is truly an amazing drink. (And maybe it deserves that 23}. It's unfortunate that the price is so high.

Neat. Opened for over 6 months. My Father’s Day hitter pour. Honestly, the nose is challenging me to draw anything. Must be me. Some buttery, slightly burnt graham cracker crust with some custard. Black pepper with a bit of bite. Caramel drizzle. Hint of raspberries. Mouth feel is syrupy, syrupy where you can even feel the grit to it. Initially it is very dark, brown sugar and maple with a bit of sourness from those raspberries. Taste hits me with that custard, proceeded by the buttery graham cracker crust. Legs are caramel, hint of oak and the black pepper. Oak lingers quite a bit. Nose is really coming alive now that I have been sitting with it. Could have been my palate and the first pour of the day. These great fruit notes are emerging. Cherries, blueberries. Starting to paint a more complete picture of a fruit tart really. Getting some darker notes of coffee and leather now too. It’s such a beautiful pour. Less in my face than I remembered. It’s just so well balanced. Sweet but not too sweet. Not over oaked. Slight bitter and sour, but it compliments. At the same time, it doesn’t stand out to me like it once did. No characteristic really stands out to put it over the top though. I simultaneously enjoyed it while being slightly disappointed.

Got lucky to get this pretty cheap per pour at a restaurant. Caramel, apple, cherry, same nose I get with a lot of the BT products. What sets this apart is the mouthfeel and palate. Mouthfeel for days. So round and rich and complex. I have a bottle of Stagg Jr. batch 13 at home and they’re very similar. Hot and round. Apple and cherry and caramel. Similar to Weller and Eagle Rare just turned up to the max. Worth $25 a pour? Yes. Worth $600? No. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

First time trying this bottle Nose - vanilla explosion! Super complex nose with a lot going on. Nutmeg and spices round out an excellent nose with some cherries and sugar. For a 124 proof bourbon I didn’t catch hardly any ethanol burn. Taste - very full and rich to the tongue. Vanilla leads the way with other spices. Amazingly smooth. Vanilla keeps rolling on my tongue and leads way to a cherry flavor and light pepper taste. Vanilla stays on the tongue with light burn on a long finish. This is how bourbon should taste. Overall and value- I am so glad this bottle lived up to the hype. Vanilla lovers should be on the lookout for this 2018 release. I hate that a bottle this good is so hard to find or so expensive. This bottle is easily in my top 3.

I have been chasing this for years and finally tried it in a bar. While it's very good I have to say I am underwhelmed for the price point. Took quite a while for it to open up but I still consider it fairly closed on the nose. The first surprise is that the 130 proof is far from apparent. There's vanilla and caramel with some nominal fruit but all very shy. The taste is true and very good. Finish is nice and long with lingering apple. If this were $75 a bottle it's definitely a 5 but I find Stagg Jr at $65 to be superior across the board.

Char, charcoal, very spicy nose, rye, marshmallow, candy corn, maybe some maraschino cherry and almonds. Nice spicy rye flavor that really wrestles with the corn. Very hot spicy pepper/cinnamon/alcohol burn. Very oaky, musty damp barrel wood. Tobacco and leather. Long finish with damp wood, tobacco, wet cotton, cinnamon burn, marzipan. Complex and well rounded, but definitely hot!