Hannah’s Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review
Original review written February 1, 2022
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
A creamy mouth feel with rich, fruity, woody punches – all matched with high proof bourbon complexity. Solid offering, and I’m glad it’s open in the bunker at last. 94/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: nas (believed to be ~8yrs.)
– Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye <10%; speculated corn around 75%)
– Casks: Char #4
– Non-chill filtered
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 65.45% (130.9 proof)
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho 2021
For more information, visit buffalotracedistillery.com
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this bourbon here!
SETTING:
This bourbon screams for a creative mind. Even though I am not an artist, I still feel the urge to pull out paints and brushes and let this bourbon take me wherever it wants to go across the canvas. The richness and complexity of this bourbon calls for vibrant colors, with a flair for messy as the brush hurries to make the image in your head a reality. Maybe it doesn’t look the best (maybe it’s not supposed to look like the best). Maybe it’s just supposed to be an honest, deep thought with colors. This bourbon would be your best critic and supporter all in one.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
NOSE:
Sharp berries, cherries, and apple cross the nose first, followed quickly by a white pepper and alcohol bite. With them is a perfect golden caramel, cinnamon, and maple sugar, contributing to the sweetness and making my salivary glands already excited. There is also a yellow cake element, maybe one with a dark chocolate marbling in it. Deep inhales coax out the corn, decidedly roasted, and an almost salty leather. A bitter nuttiness comes with the corn at the very end of the inhale, mixing with the sting of the alcohol. And despite the alcohol being most certainly present, it isn’t acetone-like, and I hesitate to even name it ethanol. I’d call it fiery and leave it at that.
Oak is present; however, it is very hidden and subdued behind all of the fruit sweetness and alcohol burn. The oak that is there, is spicy and freshly sawn.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Creamy. The alcohol bite is certainly there, but this bourbon still has a distinct thickness to it, and I quite enjoy that.
– Balance: Complex. The sharpness of many of the flavors makes the bourbon angular; however, the creaminess softens the edges.
– Visual: Mahogany in color, this has a very faint ring, and the spirit falls in sheets, therefore leaving very few legs behind.
– Taste: The first sip immediately lets you know that it is a high proof bourbon, already stinging at the lips and not wanting to linger on the tip of the tongue for long. Cherries are much more pronounced on the palate than they were on the nose. They are chased by cashews, caramel… and cream? I rarely – if ever – find cream in a bourbon; however, I do find it subtly here, and I like the way it contributes to the mouth feel, and especially how it sits with the cherries. The cream also comes with some dark vanilla flavoring – dark enough to be almost bitter, but not quite.
Spice is similar to what was found on the nose – white pepper and cinnamon. These spices ingrain themselves firmly into the now present barrel char flavor of this bourbon. The barrel is strong, slightly bitter, simultaneously sweetened and heated by the spice. Naturally, along with the high proof, the bite of Batch #16 can be quite strong. On some sips, you’re lulled into a false sense of security with the creamy quality, and then given a hefty Kentucky Hug when you least expect it.
When I partake in a Kentucky chew, the burn and pain is much like needles to the tongue. That being said, a fresh oak, more nuts, and toffee appear on the taste buds.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Long-Very long. The heat goes on and on and on after the sip is over, despite not many flavors left in the aftertaste.
– Between Sips: A light fruit leather lingers between sips, but it dissipates quickly, leaving a mostly clean and warm finish behind.
– No More: The greatest change in this bourbon is not necessarily new flavors to notice or the elevation of others (though the caramel does grow to be slightly more formidable). Rather, the heat continues grow and threatens constantly to give a surprise Kentucky Hug. I’m trying to be careful and respectful, but I already know I won’t get out of this pour without a hug somewhere.
The empty Glencairn is fresh sawdust and smoke, playful with a nip of that proof that makes you want another glass.
THE ADDITION OF WATER
– This section written on February 6, 2022 –
Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review: Water can often tame bold whiskeys and the addition of 2-4 drops will not radically change the proof of the pour. Rather water may help open the spirit allowing the aromas and flavors to bloom. As such, 2 and 4 drops of distilled water were added to their own respective 1.5 oz. pours of Stagg Jr. Batch #16 to detect any potential differences:
This still smells like a Stagg Jr. on the nose; however, there is even less of an alcohol sting now that the water is added. I can also find a sprinkling of coconut shavings, and maybe even a sudden coconut milk component to sweeten the nose. The sip is still sweet (naturally with less heat), though now heavier on baking sweet flavors, like vanilla, chocolate curls, and a cakey element. The newfound coconut in the nose is also here. Overall, the flavors are more akin now to a certain cookie that comes out in spring with coconut, chocolate, and caramel ;). The pour remains great, and I don’t think I could choose between the two drops variation or having it neat. It would just depend on mood. (RATING: 93/100)
This smells immediately sugary with caramel, with little to no alcohol burn. There’s more coconut and now even marshmallow on this nose. The palate continues with the caramel/simple syrup and comes across as a one-hit wonder. There’s a bitterness trailing the caramel, which doesn’t quite help the simple sweet flavor. Nevertheless, if you are wanting to get into high proofs, and want to ease into it without shocking the senses, this is solid way to go. I say this because I *know* that if I wasn’t aware of this being Stagg Jr., and was given this blind, I’d likely enjoy it just fine – even with it being less complex. (RATING: 87/100)
WORTH THE PRICE?
As I say with every Stagg Jr., $50 USD for a high proof, complex, deep bourbon is always a bargain. If you can find any batch, get it. Consider adding some water if the proof is too aggressive for your tastes. No matter where you are in your bourbon journey; Stagg Jr.’s always can find a way to shine.
STAGG JR BATCH #16 BOURBON REVIEW RATING: 94/100
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