Stagg Jr. is, exactly as its name implies, a younger version of the George T Stagg bourbon that’s released annually by Buffalo Trace. While big daddy GTS typically ranges from 15-17 years in age the Stagg Jr. is an 8 year old bourbon that’s made from a combination of 8-9 year old barrels. This whiskey is also released multiple times per year, in small batches, compared to the once a year releasing of the GTS.
When Stagg Jr. was first released in August of 2013 I remember all the buzz around it. Bourbon geeks snatched up bottles almost before they touch the shelf, secondary market flipping was instantly seeing a 3x markup on the $50 MSRP and less scrupulous stores were marking theirs up to be around the same. in fact, I know of one store here in Los Angeles who still has a bottle, marked at $150, sitting on their shelf over 2 years later. Initially it was difficult to get, but now I can easily buy a case at MSRP if I was so inclined. It’s always interesting to see how the market and whiskey fans react to a new releases… anyways, on to the Stagg Jr. review!
Stagg Jr. Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 (low rye ~ <10% rye)
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS (~6 years)
ABV: 64.5%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $50
Stagg Jr. Review
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Wood, dark sweets, spice, vanilla, touch herbal and dark fruit. It’s a nice basic Buffalo Trace aroma, but there’s an astringent bite in it that needs a bit of water to tame.
PALATE
Dark sweets, wood, cinnamon heavy spice, vanilla and a light bit of cocoa, fruit leather and sweet tobacco. Like nose it’s great, but it also falls prey to a sharp bit of astringent acetone and needed a fair dose of water to even it out. Still not awful at full CS though.
FINISH
Long and oaky with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balance despite acetone, full body and a thick heavy feel; runs a bit hot.
OVERALL
Stagg Jr. is a big bold barrel proof bourbon that, at MSRP, is a relatively decent deal in today’s bourbon buying climate. The nose on it is woody and sweet with all the lovely Buffalo Trace spice and dark fruits that make it an aromatically aggressive bourbon. That same aggressive character rolls over to the palate and rolls on through the finish and it’s just an all around good bourbon. The only partial downfall in this batch of Stagg Jr. is the previously mentioned wood.
The wood in this batch of Stagg Jr. comes across nice and rich, but also a bit astringent. There is a bite to the nose, palate and finish that takes a decent amount of water to cut through and even it out. I’ve had other batches of Stagg Jr. that aren’t quite as astringent and “bitey” as this one os it does change batch to batch as you’d expect. Regardless of the sensory stinging acetone-like quality it’s still a good whiskey and a good deal. Definitely recommend it if you find it at a reasonable price.
SCORE: 89/100
