Overview
George T. Stagg is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a fall release featuring limited-production offerings of their famous mashes. The George T. Stagg is mash bill #1, a low rye bourbon aged roughly 15 years bottled uncut and unfiltered.
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DETAILS
REVIEW
RARITY
DISTILLERY
Buffalo Trace
MASTER DISTILLER
Harlen Wheatly
AGE
NAS (15 Years)
PROOF
129-145 | 68-72% ABV
FIRST RELEASE
2002
RELEASE FREQ
Annual (LE)
MASH
REVIEW70%
CORN
15%
BARLEY
9%
RYE
PALATE: Lush toffee sweetness and dark chocolate with hints of vanilla, fudge, nougat and molasses. Underlying notes of dates, tobacco, dark berries, spearmint and a hint of coffee round out the palate.
HISTORY LESSON
REVIEW
George T. Stagg is the namesake of whiskey salesman, Civil War veteran, and owner of what is today Buffalo Trace. An interesting bit of history, Kentucky was a border state during the American Civil War and declared neutrality at the beginning of the war. Though the Confederacy claimed Kentucky, and almost took the state, they never formally took a side. Veterans from Kentucky fought on both sides, but George Stagg’s religious views motivated him to fight for the union.
George T. Stagg’s bourbon ventures started shortly after the war when he moved his family to St. Louis and began selling whiskey. During his career, Stagg had grown fond of O.F.C. Bourbon and its maker, E.H. Taylor. The relationship between the two became a business partnership when Stagg was able to purchase the O.F.C Distillery.
Stagg & Taylor formed E.H. Taylor, Jr. & Co. with George T. Stagg as the President. With E.H. Taylor’s meticulous approach to the process, and Stagg’s expertise in production and innovation, the two men not only built one of the most dominant American distilleries, but solidified Kentucky as synonymous with high quality bourbon.
Unfortunately the honeymoon period was short lived. After about 8 years, and a series of conflicts between Stagg and Taylor over the vision of the distillery and future of bourbon, the two men parted ways with Taylor moving on to other projects. However with Stagg at the helm, the O.F.C. Distillery continued on to be one of the most dominant producers of high quality bourbon in the world. However the bitterness did not end there. Stagg knew that Taylor’s name was important to the distillery and, despite agreeing to remove Taylor’s name, continued to use it. The two engaged in multiple lawsuits and finally in 1890, after the final lawsuit was settled, the distillery started operating as George C. Stagg & Co.
Just a few years after Taylors departure, in failing health, George T. Stagg would retire, and in 1893 George T. Stagg died. In 1904 the distillery officially became George T. Stagg Distillery in honor of his incredible achievement and contribution to Kentucky bourbon. It wasn’t until almost 100 years later, in 1994, that Stagg’s Distillery would become what is today Buffalo Trace. In 2002, the distillery honored this legacy by releasing a traditional corn, low-rye, and malted barley expression of the famous mash bill #1, bottled uncut and unfiltered, called Geroge T. Stagg.
REVIEW
Each George T. Stagg yearly release varies slightly in age and proof so no two bottles are identical, but to make the cut as George T. Stagg, the bourbon should exemplify:
NOSE: Subtle aged oak and barrel char sit behind bold flavors of dark honey, brown sugar and waves of that cherry this mash is known for.
SIP: The sip does not open hot as you might expect from such high proof. Instead it leads in with classic cherry, red hot, and hints of citrus. Waves of dark honey and aged oak follow while it closes out with more spice notes, nutmeg and raisin. The pour seems impeccably balanced and never really overpowers with any sweet, spice or heat.
For an in-depth review of each George T. Stagg release, see Reviews.
WHAT IS IT?
George T. Stagg bourbon is the barrel proof entry of Buffalo Trace mash #1, a traditional low-rye bourbon. When I say barrel proof, I mean it. You can find the “daddy” Stagg ranging in proof from 129 all the way up to what is known as the hazmat bourbon in the mid 140s.
Stagg is a part of the 5 bottle Fall release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, better known as BTAC. While this is technically not a “brand” but a collection of different brands, the release is still widely regarded as a single compilation. In fact, the bottles within the release are so closely tied together even Buffalo Trace considers the collection a brand on their website.
More about Buffalo Trace Antique.
The initial release of the Antique Collection was in 2000. At that time, the idea was to offer up the best version of each of Buffalo Trace’s different mash bills in a special release. For the first few years, four bottles were released, but as the program quickly gained traction among fans, it soon evolved. In 2002, CEO Mark Brown says a fan actually convinced the distillery to offer uncut and unfiltered bottles. Though there were many skeptics as to the success of such strong bourbon, the “hazmat bourbon”, Geroge T. Stagg was released and to the surprise of many, was a resounding success. By 2006, for the first time, all five bottles of the current lineup were released together including two uncut and unfiltered offerings.
With such a unique offering, it’s not surprising that among fans, there is a bitter debate as to which BTAC bottle is the best. George T. Stagg is always smack in the middle of the conversation, with a vigorous love-hate debate on the correct serving, neat or on ice . Even still this bourbon is a must try. Just keep in mind with the proof varying as much as it does, it’s worth noting what proof you are sampling to see if you prefer the higher or lower versions.
Some might be surprised to find that George Stagg is actually a sour mash, aged around 15 years. Since Stagg is uncut and unfiltered, it is rich in color and bold in flavor. It’s not always easy to get a high proof bourbon right. Striking a balance of flavor without overpowering heat is what makes a memorable pour, and what many George Stagg’s are known for.
IS IT HARD TO FIND?
How big is your wallet? No, really. At just a little over 15,000 bottles released on average annually, finding George T. Stagg at MSRP is about as impossible to find as they come. Most people who can land these close to MSRP have great relationships with store owners and pay the premium in other bottles. However, if you’re willing (or able) to shell out the secondary prices for the bourbon, then you can find them without trying too hard. Remember it is a fall release, so often you will see them around Novemeber-January.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Worth the hype? Absolutely. Worth the MSRP? And more. Worth the ridiculous secondary prices? Almost.
Look its never easy to place a bourbons “worth” as there are just too many personal variables. What’s your palate vs what’s in your wallet. As for George T. Stagg this is a bourbon any bourbon lover, especially one that loves high proof bold flavor, should try. I don’t think it is worth the $1,000 or more some stores try to get for it, nor is it worth anything at or north of $150 an ounce; but I think it’s fair to say I would pay well above MSRP for a bottle, depending on the year anywhere from $200-$600, and anything under $100 for a full pour without blinking. But again, everyone’s wallet is different.
More about worth here: Worth it?
IS IT FOR YOU?
George T. Stagg is a high proof well-aged bourbon. While the higher proof and heat may not be for everyone, the uniqueness of the flavors is well worth the pour, even if you have to add some water. This bourbon has a lot of complexity and balances a lot of sweet notes of cherry and honey with well aged oak and spice. You don’t often find a 15 year bourbon with this kind of complexity in sweet and heat. Those who love bold complex flavors with some robust fruit notes up front and subtle aged oak will find this to be an excellent pour.
RELEASES
| Release | Age | Proof | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15y 3m | 135.6 | 3 |
| 2022 | 15y 5m | 138.7 | NA |
| 2020 | 15y 4m | 130.4 | 2 |
| 2019 | 15y 3m | 116.9 | 1 |
| 2018 | 15y 4m | 124.9 | 4 |
| 2017 | 15y 3m | 129.2 | 5 |
| 2016 | 15y 4m | 144.1 | NA |
| 2015 | 15y 1m | 138.2 | NA |
| 2014 | 16y 4m | 138.1 | NA |
| 2013 | 15y 11m | 128.2 | NA |
| 2012 | 16y 9m | 142.8 | NA |
| 2011 | 18y 5m | 142.6 | NA |
| 2010 | 17y 7m | 143.0 | NA |
| 2009 | 16y 7m | 141.4 | NA |
| 2008 | 15y 6m | 141.8 | NA |
| 2007 | 15y 6m | 144.8 | NA |
| 2006 | 16y 3m | 140.6 | NA |
| 2005 | 16y 8m/15y 4m | 130.9/141.2 | NA |
| 2004 | 16y | 129.0 | NA |
| 2003 | 15y | 142.7 | NA |
| 2002 | 15y | 136.7 | NA |