Stagg Jr. Single Barrel (Binny's)

134 binnys. Well balanced. Not as unique.

136.4 binnys- big mouth feel. Smoke oak cherry.

Gts killer in this bottle. Done it blind many times

So, this was not a Benny's pick. In fact I'm not going to bother saying who did the pick because these unicorns are only sighted on occasion and what I was able to sample was the result of a charity effort. I don't know how many picks have been allowed out of the warehouse and made their way down the bottling line but my general thoughts are thus: If you like Stagg Jr, you will probably like a single barrel pick of the same. You might like this slightly more, but only slightly. But honestly, how often does anyone come across a standard Stagg Jr anymore? If offered a bottle just buy it and drink it. A few words of caution though. This might physically burn a hole in your tongue. The flavors are grand - oak, tobacco, vanilla, cherry, etc. but are not worth risking your ability to taste as a result of rolling this around the mouth. A friend kindly shared his bottle, clocking in around 135 proof vs. my batch 14, 130 proof. It's hot. No way around that fact, and if physical pain isn't your thing then maybe pass or at least add a few drops of water or an ice cube. I doubt the flavors will be washed out. What did I get from this pour? Mostly gastritis. Flavor-wise it is your mash bill #1, tobacco-forward, earthy but still laden with gobs of vanilla, cinnamon and cherry. Probably a bit more vanilla and less oak on this pick but no matter. It is not, however, any closer to GTS than any other Jr batch I've had. There is no big leather, fertilizer or mineral component that screams 15+ years in a barrel. Frankly, it's delicious. Was top 2 of the night out of 6-10 bottles. Standard Stagg Jr was probably #3 in my book, followed by a Woodford Reserve Batch Proof (toned down elements of cherry and wood with a dash more new-leather). The latter, at around $120 is steep but, anymore, so is $90 for Bookers - which has a completely different profile but is still just fantastically good. This bottle would easily command $150 and is likely close to what my friend paid - $70 or so going to charity and the remainder covering the cost of sourcing the bottle. Yes, Stagg Jr should run closer to $80-125 in today's market but BT wouldn't do that because it would hurt their model of buy low and then rush to post on F-book. Unless you are paying to support a charity, however, don't overpay for one of these. Just don't. All it does is feed the ongoing bubble of hype around a solid product. If you are desperate for a bottle of Stagg Jr and one of these shows up on the secondary (I hate myself a bit for condoning such a though) alongside a standard bottle - buy the standard bottle if it is $125 or less. If someone is trying to flip these for $200+ and other, cheaper/standard bottles are available then shame on them - especially if money that could go to charity is being diverted to personal gain. While they are fun, the are still well within the realm of good old Stagg Jr. and are nothing to be fleeced over.