It’s hard to find a barrel-strength bourbon more fought over than Stagg. People go nuts for this bottle of whiskey. They’ll line up overnight at liquor stores to buy one — just one — at MSRP. They’ll enter lotteries. They’ll spend way too much at auctions. And then they’ll tell you all about it (mostly online). Arguments will rage over how low or high the ABVs are and how amazing that makes the whiskey.
So when a new Stagg arrives, it’s usually a big goddamn deal. That’s a given.
Read our reviews of every Buffalo Trace brand here.
Below, we’re breaking down the latest release from Stagg, which was actually released into the wild late last year. But since we are just seeing those bottles hit shelves here in 2024, now’s the time to talk about it. The same thing happened last year. The Stagg 22 release (2022’s bottle) didn’t hit shelves until 2023.
So this isn’t anything new. It does however give us a chance for a deeper dive — since I had the chance to try this one last year. So along with the pertinent details of the new release, I can also give you some tasting notes. Let’s dive in!
Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch 23B
ABV: 63.9%
Average Price: $70 (MSRP)
The Whiskey:
Stagg is made with Buffalo Trace’s renowned Mash Bill #1. That’s the same bourbon as Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, Benchmark, and their signature Buffalo Trace Bourbon. The ripple here is that Stagg is the barrel-strength product of that mash. It’s meant to be big, brash, and a flavor bomb.
Batch 23B is a big one. The ABV is 63.9%. That’s not Hazmat (70% and above), but it’s up there. For the uninitiated, it’ll probably taste like burning on first sip. But there is so much more at play to this subtle yet bold whiskey, so let’s look at the flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose blasts you with a deep sense of Kentucky bourbon — Pecan waffles! Maple syrup! Apple fritters! Spiced oak! Cherry Coke! — before settling on a soft sense of chocolate brownies cut with real vanilla and a fleeting sense of fall leaves in a fallow fruit orchard.
Palate: The palate starts off subtle with a sense of that Cherry Coke giving way to soft chewy toffee rolled in almond and chocolate before the build starts and the warmth turns from gentle winter spices to sharp ancho chili heat to spicy orange clove with a deep tobacco chewiness and dark spiced oakiness that’s hot, almost smoldering.
Finish: The end adds fresh hot red chili to dark hot chocolate that’s cut with nutmeg, allspice, anise, and cinnamon before a supple vanilla cream cuts in, creating a lush finish that’s surprisingly silky and gently warming with these distance sense of old barrel houses roasting under the summer sun.
Bottom Line:
This is a lot for a single sip but it’s oh so good. If you can get past the ABV punch to the face on the mid-palate, you’ll be rewarded with silken Kentucky bourbon lusciousness. Or you can just pour this over a rock and dive right in.
When and Where To Buy Stag 23?
While this was released in November 2023, very few bottles made it to shelves. The lion’s share of the allocation is hitting shelves right now around the country. You will see these for maybe another month at really good whiskey shops before they’ll be solely on the secondary retailer market at a much higher price — expect to pay closer to $250 per bottle.
And just to be clear, you’ll have to be in the know to know which liquor stores got these. Watch your local shop’s socials and newsletters for announcements. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck grabbing these from lotteries or the secondary retail market.
