Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 15

Nose: cinnamon, anise, ethanol, baked bread Taste: amber caramel, brown sugar, basic water, nutmeg This is hot and, really, not great. Good, but not great. It's fine.

I just did a blind side by side comparison of this batch with batch 12 and 13. I live in the state of Maine and for some reason we never received batch 14 but were first on the list for 15 so that’s all I can offer. I will say that visually all were stunning, nice and dark! Batch 12 - 132.3 proof Batch 13 - 128.4 proof Batch 15 - 131.1 proof I first sipped all neat out of a glencairn and then added a few drops of water. While the water did open them up a bit, ultimately it didn’t change my opinions on any of the pours. Nose: Batches 12 and 15 were very similar. The noses were creamy with a hint of cherry although batch 12 was a little more alcohol forward. As much as I hate to say it, they reminded me of cream soda. Batch 13 was drastically different and I got some caramel with more of a musty oak reminiscent to a wild turkey product but still amazing in its own way. Palate: Again, 12 and 15 were similar but this time 15 seemed much more well balanced despite it being more dry/tannic. The nose of batch 13 carried into the palate but was downright delicious! Finish: I can’t honestly say anything out performed another at this point, they were all of equal length and just an extension of the nose and palates. Overall I will say anyone who is a fan of Batch 12 will thoroughly enjoy this new batch, it is the same profile but worlds better in my opinion. That being said, I can see my preference between batch 13 and 15 going back and forth depending on how I feel on that particular day but both have the upper hand on 12. If I had to rank them today I would go: 1: Batch 15 2: Batch 13 3: Batch 12