Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 16

Brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, oak, chocolate, cherries. Great. Thanks to Toby for picking this up for me.

Nose is sweet brown sugar caramel. Little hot out if the neck. Finish is decently long. Excited to see what a few weeks open does to this

It’s good, but I don’t know if it’s my favorite. I don’t get a lot of sweet notes, but deeper ones. Like dark chocolate, maybe a bit of nut - I’m thinking an almond covered in cacao. I actually ate one and it complemented this well. It’s a good one, just maybe a bit underwhelming for the name.

Very smooth for the proof, less cherry than usual and more brown sugar.

Just got this from the PLCB from their special whiskey releases of the year. Names usually include the usual Buffalo Trace suspects except for Pappy, which gets it's own. These emails hit your computer and you have but so many seconds to click on the link to get on the system and see what is included in the release and the pricing...so naturally scoring something is pure happenstance. After winning a Col E H Taylor 4 Grain from a PLCB Lottery back in 2018 (winning means buying at MSRP), I have been unable to snag much of anything from these non-lottery special releases which are strictly online and are gone in the blink of an eye. Did manage to get 2 Weller Special Reserves once but nothing more. I haven't opened this but have tasted the Batch 16 elsewhere and like all Staggs the proof is in the pudding ... or vice versa in this case. I have to agree with the reviewers who claim this is strong proof but doesn't set your esophagus on fire as other high proof bourbons routinely do. IMHO, the mark of a great Bourbon such as this is exactly that. Smooth with high proof is often difficult to achieve in a finished product straight from the barrel. I am a happy man. I prefer this to ECBP and for me it comes close to the EC 18yr in terms of outright enjoyment, though the EC18 is very special. Nothing quite captures the strength and taste of wood barrel like that whiskey. Perhaps a good deal of said enjoyment is the satisfaction of actually having a bottle to drink. LOL. $54.99 at the PLCB but ridiculously priced elsewhere considering the production.

Very smooth and a nice finish

I mean it’s stagg jr always a good pour