Stagg Jr. Batch 15 was Buffalo Trace's winter 2020 release of its barrel-proof bourbon, bottled at 131.1 proof (65.55% ABV). It belongs to the original Stagg Jr. era, before the distillery shortened the name to Stagg in 2022.
About This Bourbon
Buffalo Trace announced Batch 15 in mid-December 2020, describing it as aged over eight years. Bottles from this period carry no batch number on the label, so the 131.1 proof is how you identify it. The distillery's own notes point to vanilla and salted caramel on the nose, cherry and cinnamon on the palate and coffee and mint on the finish. Reviewers tended to find it darker and drier than some earlier batches.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Vanilla bean and salted caramel, with dark cherry and baking spice behind.
- Palate: Rich and forceful: cherries, cinnamon, brown sugar and charred oak, with plenty of heat.
- Finish: Long, with toasted vanilla, black pepper, coffee and a cool hint of mint.
Serving & Food
Give it air and water. A short pour in a Glencairn, rested for a while, then cut with a little still water, shows far more fruit. Try it with grilled lamb chops, a cheese board with smoked cheddar, or coffee-flavoured desserts such as tiramisu.
How to Enjoy
Barrel-proof enthusiasts and drinkers who enjoy following one bourbon across batches.
Product Details
Producer: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Series: Stagg Jr. Batch #15
Release reference: Winter 2020
Region: Kentucky, USA
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye)
Age: No age statement (aged over 8 years)
ABV: 131.1 proof / 65.55% ABV
Volume: 750mL
Style: uncut, unfiltered Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
About the Distillery
Buffalo Trace's Frankfort distillery was once called the George T. Stagg Distillery, after the salesman and businessman who, with Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr., built the old O.F.C. works into a major nineteenth-century operation. Today it belongs to the Sazerac Company.
Stagg Jr. arrived in 2013 as a younger, more frequently released counterpart to George T. Stagg from the Antique Collection. It uses the same approach: barrels of the low-rye Mash Bill #1, bottled at whatever strength they come out at, with no dilution and no filtering. At the time of Batch 15, the distillery made two batches a year.