George T. Stagg
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery. Frankfurt, KY
Age: 15 YR
Proof: 138.2
Nose:  A thick complex aroma of caramel, dark fruit, dark sweets, spice and wood starts it off and a wee bit of water starts a reaction that unleashes notes of molasses and vanilla.
Palate:  Wood is upfront followed by a cavalcade of dark sweets, dried dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and leather. Like with the nose it’s a dense complex flavor. A bit of water surfaces light notes of vanilla and burnt chocolate.
Color: Corduroy Brown
Notes:  2015 George T. Stagg Bourbon was created from a 128 barrels (53 gallons each) that were filled in the spring of 2000. At first glance that sounds like a lot of whiskey, and it is, but when you consider that some of the barrels ended up having only 1 or 2 gallons left in them due to an intense amount of evaporation it’s actually not. What remained of the whiskey in those 128 barrels was then dumped and bottled without chill filtration or water being added – which is how all GTS is bottled.

The year’s George T. Stagg Bourbon is, in a word, fantastic and of the years I’ve tasted (2010, 2011, 2013 and now 2015) this is my favorite. Along with the WLW this is the one I always put my name down for on store lotteries every year. It always seems to deliver in the flavor and aroma department.