Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 15

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.

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.

I mean its stagg! Incredible nose of rich caramel. Amazing palette with long finish. Hard to beat.