Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 1

It was 7-8 years ago that I first experienced Stagg Jr.  Cost me $90 for the bottle and I just could not believe how rich it was.  Vanilla-cherry pie and cotton candy that you could smell across the room.  Won't ever forget that. A year later I happened into a liquor store in Florida that had recently changed hands.  The new owner found two cases of Stagg Jr. amongst the acquired inventory. Didn't know what he had and put it on the shelf.  1st release 134.4 proof.  I got six bottles at $45 each.  This is the last one.  I learned early on that the last half of the bottle is way better than the first, so I saved an empty to pour it up into two half bottles and let it sit, two or three months.  This one got poured up in December 2021. Still get that vanilla cherry pie across the room when I pour a dram.  Mostly I enjoy it neat after dinner.  Took a half bottle to Florida last month and a friend told me that an unopened bottle of the first release was currently going for a grand.  I love it but really?  Maybe that made it taste better, maybe not. I love to nose my bourbon and this has my absolute favorite nose.  There's creme brulee, cherry pie and cotton candy.  Maybe it's cherries jubilee and hot buttered popcorn?  Naw it's vanilla custard, fresh bing cherries on buttered Belgian waffles with caramel. It's a bit hot but not like you would expect from 134.4 proof.  1/2 oz goes a long way. Oh the texture in the mouth, it's thick and chewy, really coats the mouth and tongue.  It's a bit hotter on the tongue than anticipated by the nose.  The flavors are intense.  Kinda cherry, apple bread pudding with a caramel bourbon sauce.  The caramel holds on and goes woody on the finish.  A touch of pecan in there too. This is my favorite bourbon, I absolutely love it.  Still have a stash of later releases and I am always on the lookout.  But I haven't seen any for less than $200 in the last couple years so maybe the bottles I have will be all I get.  Can you spell r-a-t-i-o-n?

The palette and finish is like drinking the Big Red cinnamon gum. Super powerful but not so much where it isn’t smooth. The cinnamon and spice carry the flavor while the finish had a quick sweet taste but finished with a cinnamon kick. Quite a drink and would be worth the $60-80. I wouldn’t pay more than $80 for this bottle. Great pour.