George T. Stagg Bourbon 2009 Edition
George T. Stagg Bourbon is one of those rare spirits that leaves you in a state of awe after you’ve tried it. This is due as much to the staggeringly high percentage (70.7%) as to the incredible quality of the whiskey itself. I still remember the first time I had the chance to try Stagg. It was the 2007 release, and I remember being immediately taken with its deft combination of finesse and power, like a velvet glove cast in iron. It rolled across your palate, teetering on the edge between delivering powerful waves of flavor and obliterating your taste buds completely. Absolutely spellbinding.
The Stagg bottling is part of Buffalo Trace’s annual Antique Collection that also features the Eagle Rare 17-Year, W.L. Weller Cask-Strength, Sazerac 18-Year Rye, and Thomas Handy Sazerac 6-Year Cask-Strength Rye. There’s good reason that these bottles are in high demand upon release, and very hard to find. Each offering in the Collection is a reliably excellent whiskey, and on most occasions outright brilliant. Of them all, the W.L. Weller remains my favorite, but it’s a tough call, as they’re all so good. But among them all, the Stagg really does stand out.
One element that I’ve always found interesting, is how Stagg’s percentage is always so high, 70.7% this year. In past years it has ranged from a low of 65.45% to a high of 72.4%. This is striking to me, considering that a cask-strength scotch typically weighs in somewhere between 55-60%. Why the difference?
When Scotch producers fill barrels with new-make spirit, they typically dilute it 63.5%. This has long been considered the optimal percentage at which to initiate a whisky’s aging process. Over the course of time then, the amount of alcohol in the whisky drops. If we assume that Buffalo Trace fills their casks with 63.5% whiskey too (I haven’t been able to find a source indicating the strength of the whisky when it is put in cask), then we’re witnessing the opposite phenomena here. The amount of alcohol in the whiskey is rising, not dropping. We see the same thing happening with the W.L. Weller and Thomas Handy bottlings as well.
The difference is the result of the different humidity levels in the environment that the whisk(e)y is aging in. The air in a warehouse full of casks in Scotland is more humid than the air in one of the buildings that Buffalo Trace is aging their whiskey in. The more humid the air is, the less water will evaporate from the whisky. Instead, alcohol evaporates from the whisky. Thus, while scotch ages, it loses more alcohol than it does water, in effect lowering the alcohol level of the whisky. In contrast, because the air is drier in a bourbon warehouse, more water evaporates from the whiskey than alcohol, and the exact opposite takes place – the alcohol percentage of the whiskey rises because more water is evaporating than alcohol.
So it basically comes down to humidity levels. More humidity – as in Scotland – results in dropping alcohol levels. Less humidity – as in a warehouse in Kentucky – results in rising alcohol levels. Now, there are sure to be exceptions to this. But from what I have seen thus far, this is a general pattern.
In the end, we have a bottle of George T. Stagg bourbon that weighs in at 70.7%. The first question is: is it drinkable at this percentage? In my experience it is only just drinkable at 70+%. Very, very small sips. But fortunately, it’s great whiskey, and takes well to a bit of water to mellow it out. So make sure you have your dribbler handy when you pour a glass of this elixir.
The whiskey pours the color of mahogany. The nose is very sweet, with rich, warm notes of caramel and vanilla, crushed almonds, and grade B maple syrup. The palate kicks off with caramel and brown sugar, slowly opening up to include walnuts, spicy resin and a shade of wood smoke. The texture is rich and luxurious, with a definite bite to it, even after adding water. The finish concludes with flavors of salted caramel and mesquite honey.
A very big whiskey, that brings loads of flavors to the table. I don’t think it’s overly dynamic, but it makes up for with the sheer power of the flavors that it conveys. You’ll likely need to ease your way through a glass of this, but it will be a very enjoyable journey.
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