Orphan Barrel Lost Prophet is 22 year old juice from the George T Stagg distillery and it is NOT pappy juice. Pappy comes from BT’s wheated mashbill and this contains no wheat. This is BT’s traditional mashbill and is what’s in the George T Stagg and Eagle Rare releases. If you’re looking for a comparison it would be closer to what you get in the BTAC releases of those two than it would be anything else.
I bring this up because I’ve seen, on more than 1 occasion, someone yelling something to the effect of “It’s old Stagg juice from Stitzel so it’s gotta be Pappy”. This is wrong on so many levels it makes my head hurt. For starters there’s the mashbill issue I already brought up. Secondly, they are two different distilleries and one has nothing to do with the other. Buffalo Trace (George T. Stagg distillery) currently makes Pappy and while Stitzel Weller used to make Pappy the last SW distilled juice found in a bottle of Pappy was last year’s (2014) 23 yr PVW. Lost Prophet is just older Eagle Rare.
Orphan Barrel Lost Prophet Review
Distiller: George T. Stagg Distillery (Buffalo Trace)
Age: 22 years
ABV: 45%
Mashbill: 75-78% Corn, 15% Rye & 7-10% Barley
Price: $120
EYE
Dark caramel
NOSE
Caramel, Dark fruit, vanilla, wood and spice shoot out of the glass and head straight down the nasal passages. Citrus, red licorice, leather and a light biscuity quality drift through in it’s wake.
PALATE
Wood is VERY present here and borders on overbearing, but stops just short. Caramel syrup, spice, cherry heavy dark fruit and a surprisingly prominent corny grain note flesh out the bulk of the flavor. There is a bit of char and vanilla, but they’re just hints that come through more towards the finish.
FINISH
Long finish of corn, vanilla, wood and a weak spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
The sweeter notes help balance out the massive oak and it ends up working well. Medium body with a smooth texture.
OVERALL
I like the Orphan Barrel Lost Prophet quite a bit and it tastes and smells strikingly similar to Eagle Rare which should be no surprise knowing where the barrel came from. I love the big sweet woody, fruity and spicy nose and palate, but the finish falls a little flat for me and what kept it out of the 90s. If you like big woody bourbons with a mild rye influence then you’re probably going to like this one.
SCORE: 89/100