July 2014

George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
2013 Release
64.1% ABV
$70 to $90
Website

What the Distillery Says:
This extremely hearty whiskey ages in new charred oak barrels for no less than 15 years. Straight out of the barrel, uncut and unfiltered, the taste is powerful, flavorful and intense. Open it up with a few drops of water, sit back and ponder the wonders of the universe.

TASTING NOTES:
Lush toffee sweetness and dark chocolate with hints of vanilla, fudge, nougat and molasses. Underlying notes of dates, tobacco, dark berries, spearmint and a hint of coffee round out the palate.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Oiled riding leather, roasted dates wrapped in smoked bacon and Boston Cream Pie.
Palate: Molasses syrup, heavy vanilla, 5th Avenue candy bars, and finished with a spicy rye/mint kick at the end.
Finish: Old leather bound books, a well tended humidor, and well balanced oak.
Comments: This is one of those really dangerous bottles of Stagg. It’s a good bit lower in proof from some of the previous releases and that makes it wicked easy to drink. Take it slow, add a little water or at least a water back, and be careful with this sleeping beast. This batch was aged for 15 years and 11 months. No details in this recent release regarding batch size or the warehouse location of the selected barrels.
Rating: Must Buy

George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
2009 Release
70.7% ABV
$65
Website

What the Distillery Says:
This extremely hearty whiskey ages in new charred oak barrels for no less than 15 years. Straight out of the barrel, uncut and unfiltered, the taste is powerful, flavorful and intense. Open it up with a few drops of water, sit back and ponder the wonders of the universe.

TASTING NOTES:
Lush toffee sweetness and dark chocolate with hints of vanilla, fudge, nougat and molasses. Underlying notes of dates, tobacco, dark berries, spearmint and a hint of coffee round out the palate.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Molasses, toffee, dried unrolled tobacco, oiled leather, with a mint back note.
Palate: Rich, dripping toffee and vanilla, then a large right hook to the palate with cinnamon red hots, black pepper, and oak.
Finish: Slightly dry, with cinnamon, tobacco, cocoa powder, coffee grounds, and oak on mid length finish.
Comments: This is one of those bourbons like Pappy Van Winkle that has become legendary in it’s limited availability as much as it’s tremendous flavor. As Van Winkle is to wheated bourbons, Stagg is to ryed bourbons. And the flavor is tremendous. This is a dark monstrous bourbon. Alcohol content aside, if you can put 70% ABV aside, the flavor is layered, aggressive, and encompassing. You don’t drink this. It let’s you consume it. A quick word about that proof too. This is a monster in terms of alcohol. Water is required either in liquid or solid forms. Personally, I get it down to about 50% ABV for regular consumption but to each their own. If you can get your hands on a bottle I would grab it and not worry so much about “which” George T Stagg you got. You’ll also notice that this is not a single barrel bourbon. It’s done annually in small batches. As such, the flavor profile is very similar year to year. This batch was 109 barrels aged for 16 years and 7 months. For those interested in the bourbon geek minutiae, it was distilled to 135 Proof, barreled at 125 Proof in barrels with #4 55 second char and the barrels were selected from floors 1 and 3 of Warehouse K.
Rating: Must Buy