Once again, we have been able to get hold of some very special barrels from the USA. This time, barrels from Buffalo Trace Stagg Jr. have rolled onto the yard.

There are several reasons why these barrels are so special. Let’s start with the name and the history behind it.

George T. Stagg was born in 1831 and earned his living as a whiskey merchant after fighting in the American Civil War. He did this so successfully, he was soon able to call himself a wealthy man. During his time as a businessman, he also met a certain Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. who had founded the O.F.C. (Old Fire Copper) Distillery a few years earlier. The whiskey connoisseurs among you will be familiar with the founder (the father of the modern bourbon industry) as well as the distillery, which is the foundation of today’s world famous Buffalo Trace Distillery.
But first things first, because not everyone who makes a living from whiskey and/or bourbon is blessed with commercial talent, Taylor ran into difficulties financial in 1878.

Stagg seized his chance and bought out the business. He now switched from selling the whiskey to producing it. A wise decision, as it later turned out.
Initially, the OFC Distillery kept its name, but after Taylor’s passing, it was renamed George T. Stagg Distillery. Already innovative and state-of-the-art in its own right, the operation continued to move forward under Stagg’s leadership. In 1886, he installed steam heating in the warehouses, creating the first air-conditioned warehouse for aging whiskey in the country.

He must have possessed a great deal of commercial skill and persuasion. Otherwise I can’t explain how he managed, as one of very few, to continue producing and selling whiskey as medicine even during Prohibition.

In 1930, the distillery was sold to the Schenley family who further modernised and enlarged it. The company continued to be called Stagg for another 60 years until it was sold and renamed, Buffalo Trace Distillery, after another sale.

One honors one’s roots there. And so the Stagg Jr. Bourbon was revived in an antique collection according to the old recipe.

A special feature here is the very limited edition – since the first batch in the fall of 2013, batches are released only twice a year, usually with a season in between. The whiskey is made with Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 – the same mash used to make Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor Jr. and the eponymous Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

The extremely strong, almost cherry-colored whiskey is aged for no less than 15 years in new, charred, American white oak barrels. Straight from the barrel, uncut and unfiltered, the taste is powerful, spicy and intense.

Lush toffee sweetness and dark chocolate with hints of vanilla, nougat and molasses. Subliminal notes of dates, tobacco, dark berries, mint and a hint of coffee round out the flavor.

Are these the flavors you want in your brandy, beer or distillate? If so, I advise you to be quick. The barrels have just arrived in our warehouse very freshly emptied and will certainly be sold out quickly!

Cheers!