Stagg Jr Batch 17 Bourbon

Brian’s Stagg Jr Batch 17 Review:

reviewed 26-April-2022

STAGG JR BATCH 17 BOURBON REVIEW:

Stagg Jr Batch 17 (Stagg Jr B17) starts dark and woody bringing only a touch of alcohol to the nose. The dark aromas I smell then pass to the palate and on to the finish. I found this batch a bit challenging to review as most of the aromas and flavors are quite subtle. But this bourbon grew on me the longer I sat and sipped. It is a good one and if B17 is truly the last of the line, it lives up to the legacy.

STAGG JR BATCH 17 VITAL STATS:

Category: Barrel Proof Bourbon
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 (low rye <10% rye, speculated to be about 75% corn, 10% rye and 15% malted barley)
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Age: nas (believed to be ~ 8-9 years old)
Released: Fall 2021
ABV: 64.35% (128.7 Proof)
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered
NABCA CSC #: 21540
Price: $49.95 (purchased in Idaho October-2021)

Learn more at Buffalo Trace Brands.

Other than ABV and proof numbers, bottles of Stagg Jr do not include batch or other number identifiers. An internet search for the proof of “128.7” reveals this bottle to be Batch 17, bottled in the fall of 2021.

Click Bourbonex for detailed Stagg Jr, batch information.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

Taken out of the newly opened bottle, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating pours, four once review amounts went into two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review. Our glasses rested for about 15 minutes before we began our nosing.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

STAGG JR BATCH 17 NOSE:

At first there was hardly any alcohol when first brought to my nose. But with heavy draughts, Stagg Jr B17 gives the nose a slight burn. As I acclimate, I sense sherry wine and tannins from the barrel, then dry roasted corn and dusty grain. Soon I detect a basket of dark dried fruits; figs, currants, plum, and a faint dark cherry jam. Continued nosing brings allspice, cinnamon, and white pepper and then more fruit aromas … now dark Bing cherry pie. While most of the sweetness comes from fruit, I also get rich vanilla, brown sugar, burnt caramel, light molasses and a few toasted almonds. But what shines here is the sense of age. I smell dry old oak, toasted wood, and smoky sweet barrel char coupled with earthy leather and musty potting soil.

STAGG JR BATCH 17 PALATE:

So many of Stagg Jr B17’s aromas pass to the palate. Warm wine tannins, roasted corn and dusty grain mix with dark dried currants and ripe plums. While fruit forward, this bourbon is dark making the spices stand out. Allspice, toasted cinnamon sticks, ginger, and black pepper blend with rich vanilla, brown sugar caramel, and light molasses. Under the nectar’s spice and sweets lays a foundation of dry old toasted oak, barrel char, and musty leather. All the flavors blend and no trait overpowers another.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Stagg Jr B17 is creamy, viscous and easy to hold. It is hard for me to believe this is 128.7 Proof, as B17 is quite mellow and rich. The nose, palate and finish are in balance making this a solid bourbon. In between my nosing and sips, the liquid inside the glass creates a thick curtain which breaks into fat and thick clinging legs with no droplets left behind … just a well defined ring above the terracotta colored pool.

STAGG JR BATCH 17 FINISH:

The only departure from true balance is Stagg Jr Batch 17’s long almost hot finish. Yet I do feel barrel tannins and dusty grain in my mouth as the memory of plums and other dark dried fruits fade in the throat. The I feel the cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper prickle then become soothed by rich vanilla and brown sugar. There is also a fading taste of toasted almonds and dry old toasted oak, barrel char and leather. As I finish the pour, the empty Glencairn smells of dark sweet oak. I am both sad and pleased this glass has been emptied … it smells so good. Pour me some more.

MY RATING: 89/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I will never pass on a Stagg product in whatever version it may be found.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 89/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Stagg.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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LABELS, MARKETING AND AN OPINION

Stagg Jr Batch 17 is the last Stagg Jr to ever be produced. But, do not be alarmed … Buffalo Trace announced in mid-November-2021, the “Jr.” designation will be dropped from future bottle labels. The announcement comes on the heels of the decision to pull the George T Stagg (GTS) entry from the annual 2021 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

In my mind, the change to new labeling is pure marketing. After a rocky three years following its inaugural release in the fall of 2013, Stagg Jr has taken on a life of its own. To many of us, Stagg Jr is on our unicorn list. We do not regard it as an offshoot of GTS. I dare say most of us have not had the pleasure of enjoying a pour of GTS, so we have no grounds for comparison.

While still allocated and hard to find, bottles of Stagg Jr are much more available than its so called namesake. All the while, Buffalo Trace has not treated either Stagg offering as a variant of the other.

Of course anything is possible, but it seams unlikely and costly for Buffalo Trace to make a drastic change in recipes or distilling and aging processes for a new product. There are likely thousands of barrels which would have set aside for Stagg Jr/Stagg bottlings laid down 8-10 years ago. Where would that product go if not to the Stagg line?

It is likely the new Stagg will continue to be allocated. And the new designation sets the stage for a price update. I would not be surprised if the Stagg MSRP adjusts up to align with premium Beam-Suntory, Brown-Forman, Heaven Hill, and other offerings. (Just not too fast please!}

Cheers!
– Brian