George T. Stagg, part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC), has become one of the more sought after bottles released every year. We reviewed it here and loved it. The folks at Buffalo Trace decided to release a ‘little brother’ version in the Stagg Jr. The bottle here is from the second release of the new product. The Stagg Jr. is reportedly made up of 8 to 9 year old juice, barrel proof of 132.1 and unfiltered. The Stagg Jr. has not been embraced by bourbon enthusiasts.
The nose has toasted vanilla notes with hints of cinnamon and wood. The taste is sweet carmel with some spicy rye notes. There is some heat to it but not overpowering at all. The finish is long with smoky fruit pushing through.
To be clear, you are not buying a bottle of George T. Stagg, however, once all expectations are set aside, you can better enjoy the bottle. Are there better bottles for $50? Yes, but the Stagg Jr. doesn’t deserve all the flack that it has received.
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