Wife gave a bottle to me as an early gift on Christmas Eve. After a few beers, I poured a glass and woke up on the couch! Laid me out. This review makes me want another bottle. Cheers!
Paid £10 for a shot of this yesterday. It went down the wrong hole, first slip.😳😥 Once the coughing stopped, I still found it too hot. Adding water eased things to an enjoyable level, but made me feel dirty. I could taste plums and occasional chocolate. Then i tried Elijah Craig. Another one I have never sampled before. I don't know if it was due to the act it was following, but for me, it was a non-event. Saved me paying stupid UK prices for a bottle, though. Next visit, I'm trying Blantons and Old Fitzgerald.
Sara I think your initial reaction to that early batch of Stagg Jr was more universal than you might think. Early batches were wicked flame throwers going down. Water did little to tame it. They have come a long way, since those batches.
Tasted Stagg Jr for the first time Sat night and it was incredible. I bought a bottle and it's just as good. This is something I would buy multiple bottles of just to have on hand.
I like Stagg Jr. a lot, and each release seems to get better. IMO Stagg Jr. is one of the most underrated bottles out there, surprisingly enough it warms shelves here in Toronto.
I️ got 2 bottles of this at $47.95, I’m going to call back and see if I️ can get a third today. This stuff is crazy good. I’m saving for the winter when it is best, especially if you are lucky enough to drink this while it’s snowing in front of a fire.
I bought 2 of these a few years back and wow, so good! The first bottle, god rest its whiskey soul, departed our world last year. I still have the other bottle, but I'm guarding it for some future date.......Up here, in Canada, it's so hard to get, so I'm glad, in retrospect, that I bought 2 bottles and not 1.Any how, good review, love your channel, as always.....
Love Stagg Jr. just had it for the first time earlier this week. It tastes like raisinets...a bit hot on the first sip, but gets increasingly less so with each sip. By the 3rd or 4th, it’s all chocolate syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, fig...super sweet and flavorful. I love it.
I love you guys ! Great chemistry, I’ve started drinking bourbon straight and watch many of your videos! Thanks and keep them coming . My favorite so far is weller antique . Part of the fun is finding these hard to find bourbons in Virginia
Not easy to get a hold of this in the UK but managed to get a bottle (126.4) a few days ago. Not cheap at £75 ($95), but obviously imported so will always pay more. However, it is the best bourbon I have tasted so far. Perhaps not quite as complex as several cask strength scotch I usually drink, but imo worth the price tag. Nice review folks.
I've been on the hunt for Stagg Jr and have not found any. Do any other Stagg enthusiasts have a recommendation for a bourbon that's similar but maybe easier to find?
1792 Full Proof, depending on your area, might be easier for you to find than Stagg. They're both made by distilleries owned by the Sazerac company, so that's why I recommended it. It doesn't have the kick of Stagg, but we've always enjoyed it.
Nice timing, last night sat down and did a side by side with Stagg Jr the 131.9 proof release and Elijah Craig barrel proof C917 release 131 proof. ECBP came out on top for subtle complexity of flavor but it is close. Cheers.
One of my all time favorite bourbons and I'm not a fan of Buffalo Trace! It bites hard but then acts friendly with a magnificent finish. I love that stuff.
Hey- real talk... have you seen the results by category from SFWS? The Stagg Jr. was placed in the "Small batch bourbon - up to 5 years" I dunno if they made a mistake or if the batch they entered was a particularly young one or if it really is that age.
I love stagg jr. It's pretty easy to find in my area @ $55. It's too bad that bookers did their price increase to $75. They priced themselves out of my interest. I just drink stagg jr or ECBP now. Both are better than bookers (to me anyhow). Thanks for the review.
You two are the best bourbon reviewers on RU-vid! I’m turning 40 on Monday and would like to spoil myself on a special bottle of bourbon that I would not normally buy, i.e. price, etc. Is there anything you might recommend for me on this milestone birthday? Any, and all suggestions are appreciated, keep up the good work!
Montana Thrasher Happy early birthday!! That's a tough question without knowing your flavor profile. For me, I consider a good Booker's or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof a suitable bday bourbon. Or I might reach for one of my Four Roses Limited Editions, but your not going to find one of those sitting around (not for a reasonable price anyway). So, I might recommend Wild Turkey Decades, or if you can still find it, the 17 year Master's Keep. Both great bourbons. Others that would be good but probably not just sitting on shelves would be Michter's 10 year, Rebel Yell 10 SB, Knob Creek 25th Anniversary. All great in my book. Oh! Or Blanton's Straight From the Barrel of you can find one online. - Chad
Chad, thanks for the input! I had many of these very same bourbons as a finalist for that special day. I would consider myself a mature bourbon drinker, and appreciate many of the same bourbons you and Sara review. I am now officially a patron, and look forward to more great reviews from your channel. I’ll let you know what I end up picking up. Thanks again!
A very good bourbon. One of my favorites for sure. First had this in a hotel bar in Louisville at $35 a pour. I have a couple of bottles and will open one in the fall. All the best.
Haha kicked in the face, i said the same thing with the 131 proof but its a good kick in the face, so tasty i love it and its affordable for the more expensive offerings
(If) you to get engaged....... you should do a Stepbrothers riff. C: Do you like bourbon? S:YEP C:Do you like traveling for bourbon? S:YEP C:Do you like Star Wars? S:YEP C:Did we just get engaged? S: ........YEP!!
Great uncorking guys.Stagg Jr is ok in my book. I will have to buy another batch. It's very easy to find in my area, I rather have Bookers or ECBP. Cheers.
I had the sip a while batch. It was at an event here in Louisville at the Frazier history museum. It was honestly transformative. It really was THAT good
Brad Henderson Thanks for the response! That is actually the 1st Booker’s I tried, still happily working on the bottle. I’ve grabbed a few other batches,can’t wait to see what they have to offer! Cheers! 🥃
Love me some Stagg Jr. It's a top 5 bourbon for me, all day long. Was recently lucky enough to find a case on the shelf of my local dealer for $50 each. I grabbed one a week till they were out, so as not to be a hoarder, but none of my neighbors seemed to realize how great a find that is.
I was told when I was Kentucky that true old timers use limestone water for opening Bourbon. That’s not really something I have access to but I have been using mineral water. It might be in my head but it does seem different...or at least more relevant. Only a few I add water to though. Have you ever hold this?
Monica Willits Yeah, I've heard it. Some call it Bourbon and Branch, as in branch water or Town Branch, a limestone water supply that runs underneath Lexington. Of course, all over KY has lots of limestone water sources. Maybe those old timers just can't handle the heat haha. Nah, no wrong way to drink it, we always say.
17 is an awesome pour. Gotta give the value nod to Stagg, of course, but to own the 17 year for the flavor and the fact it was Eddie Russell's first release as Master Distiller is a piece of history I would want to (and do) own.
I've been watching you Guys almost since you started RU-vid and I think you have become so use to the higher proof Bourbons that the lower ones seem like they are too docile to you (like drinking Ice Tea). While I like SOME of the higher proof Bourbons my personal Fav's are usually 86 to 94 proof, with 100 on a couple. I find that the ones in that Range just TASTE good better without having to either dilute them or grin and bare it. Aside from which, while we all like to have a good time when drinking, the 125's - 135's just "get you there TOO SOON IMHO.
Nice uncorking. I was unfamiliar with Stagg and now have to go on a New York hunt for a bottle. I just hope that when I find one , it doesn't send that giant Indiana Jones boulder down at me ! (I hear they booby trap!) ;)
Well let's see...beautiful, funny, rumor says GREAT COOK, and loves Bourbon? If Sara could leap a tall building (which we have no proof that she CAN'T) she could out "Super" Supergirl! :)
Ok!! Any alcohol over 50 Plus percent will attack your senses. Period. That is why absinthe needs a MIX! This need's water period. It has LONG long LEGS!! Unless you have a cast Iron COLON you need to water it.! This is wonderful !!
Something very off-putting watching people water down whiskey. Especially a bourbon like Stagg Jr. I had to turn it off. I know some do it, but unless it's just utter garbage..Cringy. But hey, you guys do you guys.
@@ItsBourbonNight I just believe a good bottle should stand on it's own. I wouldn't buy whiskey with the thought of watering it down. If people complain about NOT watering down whiskey in your reviews. I don't know what to say.
