dhsilv2
Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 15
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
January 7, 2021 (edited July 16, 2022)
This is my guilty, embarrassing purchase. They're not worth the trouble to get them...but I really do enjoy these.
Nose - chocolate cherries, alcohol, oak, and a touch of barn funk. It's pretty straight forward, a mix of buffalo trace, touch of youth, lotta alcohol, and the real unique note is that touch of funk/oak. With water a bit of caramel comes out (shocking?).
Taste - Hot for sure, these are all hot but this one is a bit hotter than usual. A lot of chocolate, touch of oak, really rich heavy vanilla cream, some cream corn/grain, and some varnish. Water doesn't change much here, even a health dose doesn't kill the alcohol.
I like this bourbon. It's very nice and pretty enjoyable. Not too complex and I think that's where this one falls flat. Great upfront flavor and a nice oaky note I don't get on other Stagg Jrs. But the finish is perhaps a drop of spice and it lingers but it's simple and pretty basic. It's more the result of the high proof than there being a rich complex whisky here.
Anyway 2.25, I'm gonna keep over paying (not through dollars but favors or store points/rewards programs) for these but if you can't get one...you'll live. There's better stuff on the shelf.
Edit - well I scored the last two batches 2.75 so let me move this to a 2.5. I think I was just too nice but whatever. This is pretty good so a 2.5 is perfectly fine. I think this is very close to the last two releases so they really should all be the same score and the 12 was likely more than a quarter star better.
52.99
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@dubz480 yeah always good to see Jason. Hoping he can collabe with mike and I on our newly branded "top shelf whisky" channel. But either way he's now a regular over at mike's when we get together.
@dhsilv2 awesome. love the Mash and Drum reviews! Sounds like a great time!
@dubz480 100% agree
@BeppeCovfefe if only cash was the only thing I had to spend on this bottle, lol. I also had to spend 800 in the store for the right to pay retail.
It's been well over a year since opening a new bottle of Stagg Jr for me, but at near 50$$ in most markets you aren't remotely "overpaying".
@dubz480 I think I've said this but I was over at Mashanddrum's place and he blinded me 2019 GTS and batch 12 Jr. Before water I was leaning batch 12. With water the complexity and age came out in the GTS and the 12's youth was more obvious. But it was close and if you don't explore ou CS whisky with water (which is crazy for a reviewer), you might miss out.
So i'm changing my mind and pushing this one to a 3.0. THe more I go back the more special I feel that oak note on this one is. It's as if they used french oak barrels and it's really giving it a disinct yet nuanced improvement. And Im moving this on par with the batch 12 but for an oak forward guy.
@dubz480 as soon as that Breakin Bourbon review came out proclaiming Batch 12 ( can’t remember, maybe 12 or 13), prices here skyrocketed to over $200.
Totally agree.... we got a big Batch 15 drop out in AZ but honestly wasn't overly motivated to chase it... it's big and brash and for $50 it's a solid value but the hype Breaking Bourbon gave it last year comparing it to big daddy Stagg was a bit strong. Great review as always. I too would take ECBP over this all day.
@PBMichiganWolverine yeah this is hot, bookers hot. however these are about 8 years old vs the trash 6 years they put bookers out at, and these are 33% less than a cheap bookers.
@WhiskeyLonghorn well my store's system that I bought it at has a point system. 1 point per dollar spent. This cost 800 points...the last batch was 600. They don't get much despite me buying this in Kentucky from a fairly large chain. It's insanity!
Who’s toes did you have to suck to get a bottle of this? My local shop said they got 6 bottles of this total in 2020...
@dhsilv2 @ctbeck11 hot is an understatement. I generally find Booker’s hot, and this was right up there with it.
Objectively, the ECBP is better, but I like some staggs better, but it's a love of the profile not the quality of whisky if you can get that view.
@dhsilv2 Given the hype, I think I was expecting something in the ballpark of the ECBP batches I’ve tried and loved. I enjoy the BT profile, but the extra years on the ECBP must be the clincher.
@ctbeck11 I'm not sure you'll get there man. It's young and HOT. If you can't find something there you enjoy if not love...you likely won't. I really love these things and would score them way higher based on that, but I try to score knowing my bias.
I grabbed a bottle of Batch 13 recently and wasn’t very impressed. I’m giving it ample time to breathe before I make a final assessment.