64,85°
Distillery : Buffalo Trace - USA
New Charred American White Oak Barrel
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottled in 2015
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Totally Unpeated
In the 19th century, George T. Stagg founded the distillery that later became Buffalo Trace, now recognised as one of the finest in the U.S.A. In his honour, the Sazerac Company, which now owns the distillery, has been producing a Bourbon Whiskey under the name of George T. Stagg since 2002, which is immensely famous, very expensive and hard to find, aged for at least 15 years. Launched in 2013 at the rate of two bottlings a year, Stagg Jr. is simply the blend of a few casks that were not deemed good enough to be included in the George T Stagg brand. Here, we're talking about Batch 5, which dates back to 2015. It's apparently a blend of two casks, one dating from 2007, the other from 2006. The age is therefore between 8 and 9 years. The number of bottles produced has not been disclosed.
Let's Taste It :
Slow-flowing braised caramel, glazed with pepper, treacle, melted chocolate, roots and black radish. Thick honey, prunes, cooked damsons, black grapes. Some olives in the background but very discreet, brown tobacco. On the palate, it's consistent, thick, the alcohol is fairly well integrated, it's still strong, but not as strong as we might have feared. Mushrooms, damp earth, nuts, all wrapped up in a caramel bursting with vanilla and overripe greengages. The finish is quite violent and explosive, with smoky tea, liquorice, bark and nutmeg. The tobacco comes back even stronger, with heather and hazelnuts.
In Short,
It's an excellent Bourbon, I must say, perfectly balanced, full of character and intense. My score is a little harsh, though, as I found it lacking a tiny bit of originality. There is less variety of flavour in Bourbon than there is in single malt. As for the price, it all depends on where you find it, and it can vary by as much as double. Look hard enough.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Alex Fawcett Band - No Love No More
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