Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 15

N: Smoke, bacon grease, caramel, vanilla. Chocolate orange, fresh turned earth, cut flowers. Cinnamon, oak barrel, fresh cut wood, sawdust, pencil shavings, pine. Big, robust, and round sweet corn that, along with a healthy ping of ethanol, serves as the backbone of all the other notes on the nose. Have to let this one open - the longer this sits in the glass, the better it gets. P: Sweet creamed corn, melted caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, oak. Powdered chocolate, toasted marshmallow. Actually, bit of graham cracker in there too, so it's got a sort of s'mores vibe to it. Marzipan, smoked meat, black pepper. Reasonably restrained baking spice on the mid-palate. Some dried fruit: raisin, fig, prune. Finish is a big hit of bitter dark chocolate that lingers past everything else. Floating on the chocolate is more of that restrained baking spice - getting hotter and leaning cinnamon now, but still restrained. Some charred oak or even fresh stained wood. Little bit more of that dark dried fruit fades in and out, then the chocolate is left alone to close it out. This is a fantastic bourbon. It delivers the classic bourbon profile, but then riffs off that to bring in the smoky, meaty, earthy notes. And all of it is done with subtlety and excellent execution. There's not an off note in this. And it's kinda scary easy to drink for being just over 130 proof. I can't think of anything bad... oh yeah, the price. Honestly, I have not regretted paying the markup. I do find it annoying that the markup is all over the map. I've seen this locally anywhere from $120 (rarely) to $200 (sadly, getting more common). I may end up doing this again at the $160 mid-point I paid, so I guess I'm saying VFM at that price is okay, I can live with it. The high end seems excessive - I'd find something else to spend it on. The low end isn't exactly a steal, but I passed on it twice, including at the place I ultimately purchased - they raised their price by $40 between visits - and obviously wished I hadn't. If you happen to get it for $100 or less, you've done quite well.

Color: Deep cherry amber. Nose: Hot! I don't typically give the nose a, "hot" classification, but this one deserves it. At 131 proof, it's no surprise... Plus, what I'm going to designate as "charred oak". Palate: First pour (drank with large ice ball)... Viscous mouthfeel; spicy(!). Comes in hot, but in a somewhat controlled manner, if that at all makes any sense. The chest hug is there, but not overpoweringly so. Burnt cherries and more oak. As the large ice ball begins to dilute it a bit, the sweeter notes start to come through. Second pour (also drank with large ice ball)... Definitely cherries plus vanilla — which I did not get on the first pour. Think "cherry vanilla ice cream". Nice! Finish: Long spicy finish with lots of the palate carrying over. Something like Werther's butterscotch candies make a surprise appearance in this juice's most diluted state... and, as with most Bourbon I've had, I get some "holiday baking spices" on the absolute tail-end of the glass. I've not been able to locate any Stagg bottles of any sort over the past few years. I assumed Stagg would prove one of those bottles I would never see. So when I quite unexpectedly found this bottle — which turned out to be Batch 15 from late 2020 — at SRP(!)? Well, I felt pretty lucky, indeed. This is superlative Bourbon. It's always tricky for me, giving star ratings... what, exactly, deserves more than 4.5 stars? What is the benchmark? Well... after over three years, and over 150 different bottles/expressions, I know what I like. I know what I look for in a Bourbon. This pretty much is the definition of, "Bourbon" to me. And so... I'm bestowing upon Stagg Jr. Batch 15, one of my highest ratings yet. I'm going to try to grab another bottle before it's gone, because I don't know when I will be met with such good fortune again.

Stagg Jr, Batch 15, 131.1 proof, uncut, unfiltered, aged over eight years. This has been hiding (from me!) in my cellar since 2021. Since I scored a Stagg (no longer "Jr") Batch 24C last week, it's time to air this "Jr" Batch 15. Tasting neat. Brown copper color and strong coating legs in the glass. Nose is full of sweet grain, creamed corn, cherries, and vanilla oak. Not getting any ethanol. In the mouth, sweet salted caramel, cherry, baking spice, cinnamon, and vanilla oak. In the back, the ethanol bloom shows up, but it's NOT overpowering for 131 proof--just nicely warming. Mouthfeel is viscous, lightly oily yet clean, not cloyingly sweet. Finish shows the tannic oak, pepper, and dried sweet grass. Mint tingle holds the sweet (and it is burnt sugar sweet) in check. Long finish, hint of cherry, but not sour. An ice cube tames that finish to a degree, maybe improving it? Maybe not. Maybe yes? which is my predilection with many barrel proof whiskies. I recognize and appreciate all types of bourbon profiles. I'm drawn to rye and high rye whiskies. But there's something about the depth of these Stagg barrel proofs that really sings to me, time and again, even separated by years between tastings. They have forceful flavors, and while strong, I've never found them ruined by an overwhelming ethanol or sweetness, or vanilla oak for that matter. Ok, ok, I hate the bottle shape, and even the name "Stagg." There! Wish it was like the G.T. Stagg bottle--tall and thin neck, better for pouring (which, apparently, I need no help doing 😄). But... there is something about the Stagg bourbons (beyond their scarcity) that makes them great, consistantly. They are, as a whole, underrated rather than overhyped. At least on my pallet.

Stagg Jr. - Batch 15 131.1 Proof // 65.55% ABV Neat - Rested 15min. Nose: This is the first time I have been able to pick up a “grape jelly” note in a whiskey. However, the Welches jammy sweetness is almost like smelling a spoonful of jelly that was dumped into a copper mule mug. There is something metallic to the rich sweetness. Oak. Dried cranberries, luxardo cherries, and faint mustiness. Great nose. 2nd nosing: Grape jolly rancher!! Powdered sugar and ever-so-slight ceylon cinnamon. Taste: Good golly. This is dense and proportional. Not the most viscous (though still oily and full), but an incredible mouthfeel. I *feel* the flavors just about everywhere on the palate. Grape jolly rancher, luxardo cherries, burnt corner of brownie crust, caramel coated oak. In fact the oak becomes more prominent in successive tastings. A minerality or metallic quality also appears later in the glass. Back to the nose: sweet syrupy cherry candy oak. BT profile through and through. American nostalgia at it’s finest. Finish: This is good. Even warmth from the top of my throat to chest. Just a few degrees below a Kentucky Hug. Yeasty, oaky, grape. Dense woody syrupy fruit sweetness. I have now tasted Stagg Jr batches 14, 15, 16, and 17. Thank you to the friends who have shared. I believe 15 is my favorite. The deep grapey candy oaky sweetness is very good. This is a good bourbon. 90/100

Nose: Really nice. I was excited to taste it based on the nose alone. Sweet cherries and vanilla with some caramel corn. Smelled like it would be a fruit- heavy, sweet bourbon. Not so much. Corn and plastic. That’s all I could pull out. Corn and plastic with some heat. I was in a nice restaurant, drinking it neat out of a nice heavy glass, before food. Yet, corn and plastic (heavy on the plastic). So disappointed. Added a couple of drops of water. Made it less-spicy corn and plastic. Kept sniffing, trying to reconcile the two, to no avail. It does have a decently long finish, which is great when the finish isn’t, you know, corn and plastic. Couldn’t finish, and I HATE not finishing the bourbon I pay for.

Nose- Vanilla cherry-cola and oak hits you in the face. The cherry on top really stands out Palate- Oaky and rich. It is a bit hot but hell, this bourbon is for big boys! A few drops tempers it down. I get that deep cherry followed by vanilla, and brown sugar. Reminds me of a few BTAC offerings and even better. Finish- love the vanilla and the up-down warming. Finish is long. If there is any flaw here it maybe a bit drying/tannic. Those who love the oak will have no problem though. Overall- Stagg Jr. has gotten so much better over time. This one continues on that path. It attempts to hide nothing. Straight up, in your face, and a beast! Nicely done!