Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 14

Nose: Initially alcohol forward with ethanol. Becomes very sweet with hints of caramel and honey. Possibly a hint of oak as well. Palate: Spicy with sweetness like toasted brown sugar. Still hot but not unpleasant. A little peppery. Finish: Almost a peppery finish that tingles, with a lingering sweetness.

Nose: Warm, dark chocolate, cherry, licorice. very hot. Taste: Exactly like the nose. Warm feeling in the mouth with a lot of rich chocolate, cherry, and caramel once you get past the heat. Very good bourbon! This bottle has really opened up after breathing for a few weeks. Neat. 11.29.20

Crazy good sipper. Warm and smooth. Caramel.

Nose - Campfire and a little bacon followed by vanilla/dulce de leche. Solid barrel char but almost like a baking spice. Vanilla baked cake after a swirl, topped with caramel drizzle. A little toast as well, which could just be that campfire smoke. Very dark, rich, syrupy cherry. Palate - Barrel char of course, milk chocolate and vanilla. My goodness it is so damn good. Mouthfeel is medium and comfortable. Little bit more grape on the second sip. Finish - Dark chocolate, coffee, barrel spice and oak. The finish ends dry but pleasantly, like a nice, dark red cabernet. Red apple skin, but very dark and rich. There is just something amazing about this bourbon. Super complex while being straight forward.

This is my thanksgiving pour and top pour of the night. Finally got around to opening this bottle and you definitely wouldn’t want to start a flight at this proof. This SJr is batch 14, 130.2 proof. I’m drinking this neat, neck pour. So of course I’m framing this from the Mash Bill 1 perspective. I get warm apple pie and brown sugar which makes sense. Not too different from ER at first take. The proof definitely hits the nose and I’m also getting a good amount of oak. I think the age is about 8-9yrs but drinking more like 12yr. I don’t have batch 12/13 to compare which I’ve read are “phenomenal” but in my option the nose is good, but kind of predictable. The pallet is a wallop of spice and sugar cane matched equally with an impressive proof/burn. This hangs around for awhile and as they say will put a little hair on your chest. After awhile, I finally get the oak again and char. Not many pours where I am more impressed with the pallet/finish than the nose. For all the fanfare to get one of these bottles, I think it is on par EHT SB or ER with just a little more punch. It a good well rounded pour and an absolute must have off the MB1.