In February a group of 24 folks from ADLS did a blind tasting of Stagg Jr batch 10 - 17 over a few weeks. A couple of group members poured the samples and labeled them A - G so the tasters wouldn’t know which batch was which. 22 folks got their results in on time and the organizers tabulated them before the big reveal.
I tasted them in 2 groups of 4 with the top 2 from each group moving on to the winners tasting and the bottom to the consolation.
Stagg Jr Blind Tasting Batches 10 - 17
B15 - A
Proof: 131.1
Notes: Nose is hot, cherry and spice but a lot of heat. Palate is also hot but very nice cherry caramel notes. Plenty of spice. Finish is slightly dry and warm.
2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle
B12 - B
Proof: 132.3
Notes: Nose is more accessible. Palate is spice and oak forward, dark, cherry cola notes under the wood and spice. Great mouthfeel. Long warm finish with lingering wood and spice alongside something faintly sweet.
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
B10 - C
Proof: 126.4
Notes: The nose is big but not as intense as A, very bourbony. The palate is awesome with well balanced heat, spice, cherry cola. Also great mouthfeel. Long finish with cola, oak and baking spice. Just the right amount of KY hug.
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
B17 - D
Proof: 128.7
Notes: The nose is on the gentler side like B. Quite sweet with vanilla and cherry notes. Still spice and oak too but less. Medium length finish.
2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle
B11 - E
Proof: 127.9
Notes: Nose is slightly harsh but some good Stagg Jr notes in there too. Palate is all cherry cola and heat but in a great way. Medium to long finish with cherry, baking spice and oak
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
B13 - F
Proof: 128.4
Notes: Softer nose than E but still potent with some spice. Classic BT profile but dialed way up with cherry, caramel, oak and rye spice. A decent KY hug on the finish
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
B14 - G
Proof: 130.2
Notes: Dark and hot with oak, baking spice and some caramel
1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
B16 - H
Proof: 130.9
Notes: Probably the easiest drinker of the bunch. Really nice BT flavors but turned up. Similar to F but better.
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
Conclusion
In the end the batch labeled B really stood out to me in a good way and the batch labeled G was clearly not at the same level as the others. 15 and 17 were also a bit behind for me but were still great. The other 4 batches had their differences and I have slight preferences but they were close enough in quality that I wouldn’t go out of my way to track down one over the other.
My personal ranking was: 12 > 16 > 10 > 11 > 13 > 15 > 17 >> 14.
The group consensus was: 13 > 16 > 11 > 12 > 10 > 17 > 15 >> 14.
There was a lot of variability in people’s top choices but 14 lost really hard.
This was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do it again with a different bourbon!