George T. Stagg 2018 is the fifteen-year-old, barrel-proof bourbon at the heart of that year's Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, bottled at 124.9 proof. It came from 284 barrels, a large batch for Stagg, and sits at the gentler end of the modern run for strength.
About This Bourbon
The 2018 edition was distilled in spring 2003 and matured for fifteen years in Warehouses C, H, I, K, P and Q. The 284 barrels made it slightly smaller than the 2017 batch but bigger than most earlier years. It went into bottle at 124.9 proof, or 62.45% ABV. Buffalo Trace's notes mention dark chocolate, espresso and tobacco, and reviewers at the time also found caramel, leather and ripe berries.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Cocoa, espresso and tobacco, with dark caramel and a hint of ripe berries.
- Palate: Big and rich but not fiery for Stagg; dark chocolate, brown sugar and leather over roasted oak.
- Finish: Very long and warming, bittersweet, with a trace of smoke.
Serving & Food
Pour a measure into a stemmed nosing glass at around 18 to 20°C; a little still water brings the berries forward. Good company for chocolate mousse, a rib-eye off the grill, or candied walnuts.
How to Enjoy
Serious bourbon tastings, and drinkers who want mature Stagg character at a slightly gentler strength.
Product Details
Producer: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Expression: George T. Stagg
Collection: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
Country: USA
Region: Kentucky
Release: 2018
Style: Uncut and unfiltered Kentucky straight bourbon
Distilled: Spring 2003
Age: 15 years
ABV: 62.45%
Proof: 124.9
Batch Size: 284 barrels
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
What makes each Stagg different is the warehouse. Buffalo Trace's Frankfort site has many rickhouses of different ages and designs, and a barrel on a hot upper floor loses more water and gains proof, while one near the ground in cooler, damper air loses more alcohol and drifts downward.
Every year the distillery tastes and samples through its fifteen-year-plus stock and picks the barrels for Stagg, then empties them together and bottles the result at full strength without filtering. The Sazerac Company, which owns Buffalo Trace, releases it each autumn with the rest of the Antique Collection, so the proof on the neck is less a spec than a note of where that year's barrels spent their lives.