View Full Version : BOTM, 2/06: George T Stagg, Fall '05
Because this release was abundant enough to reach just about everyone who wanted a bottle, and because the brand has been a board favorite for several years now, and just because it tastes so damn good, the Bourbon of the Month for February 2006 is:
George T Stagg, Fall 2005
What better way to celebrate the month of love than with a shiny new bottle of GTS! This month's thread focuses on the fall '05 release, but discussion of previous bottlings and how they compare is encouraged (and expected.)
:893drillsergeant-thSound Off:893drillsergeant-th
jburlowski
02-06-2006, 15:17
As I noted when this release first came out, I consider this a very good but not a great bourbon. Certainly not up to the standards of some of the earlier Staggs. But make no mistake about it, I enjoy it very much. I prefer to dilute it to the vacinity of 100 proof. At 141, its way to hot to allow the taste buds to appreciate the complexity.
This is a first for me. Whenever the BOTM is announced I wait a bit to read the opinions and then go out and find it. I have a bottle of the Fall '05 and had hoped to open it after SB XL. I was not a real fan of either team, but that game was lackluster, boring, poorly officiated and not worthy of cracking the seal. Now I have another reason to open it. I have not had the chance to taste any of the other releases.
TNbourbon
02-06-2006, 16:13
Well, darn it, Jeff! I only bought a single 3-pack, and it's still sealed. And I don't feel like breaking it open yet since I have a dozen or more bottles of previous editions loose, and I just reached bottom on bottles of the '04 and Spring '05.
Think I'll sit this one out. Enjoy, y'all:toast:
barturtle
02-06-2006, 16:27
And all of mines back in KY. Hmm, haven't seen any 'round here...might have to sit out as well, looks like I'll be reading everyone else's posts:coffeedrinker:
Virus_Of_Life
02-06-2006, 17:52
I have a bottle of the Fall '05 and had hoped to open it after SB XL. I was not a real fan of either team, but that game was lackluster, boring, poorly officiated and not worthy of cracking the seal.
Boy is that an understatement, I have never seen a worst officiated NFL game, much less a playoff game! The NFL carried out their agenda and got the Steelers that 5th SB and the Bus his first.
But enough about that, I had been waiting anxiously and now have another great excuse to drink what is one of my favorites. I was not fortunate enough to find this bourbon prior to last Spring's release which I thought was great, but I think I like the fall release even better.
A three pack? You can buy this stuff in 3 packs?
Argh! It took me just over a month to finally get a bottle of ETL! And now I am faced with another BOTM they dont sell in WA
:smil41df29a15fb35:
Well...they don't sell it yet that is! I'm working on my Liquor Store to carry both the Stagg and AAA, they carry almost all the other BT products.
Well my Bourbon drinking brother's and sister's, enjoy another month of Bourbon bliss and I like barturtle will just have to enjoy reading your posts.
DrinkyBanjo
02-07-2006, 06:10
Well I've had this and like it just fine. Right now I have the 129, 131.8, and now 141. Maybe I'll try them side by side this weekend and see which I like best. I will have to do this one in very small samples!
Well, darn it, Jeff! I only bought a single 3-pack, and it's still sealed. And I don't feel like breaking it open yet since I have a dozen or more bottles of previous editions loose, and I just reached bottom on bottles of the '04 and Spring '05.
Think I'll sit this one out. Enjoy, y'all:toast:
That's a shame, Tim. You always seem to capture my impressions of a Bourbon that my words fail to express....
But, I understand. I try to keep my opens to 8 Bourbons.... But as it happens, fall '05 is one of them :)
I just love this release. Contrary to some here, I find it expresses itself best straight up. It satisfies with only one 4 oz pour in the Schott Zweisel nosing glass. The aroma seems to go beyond mere scent. It fills the entire nasal cavity with an explosion of sweet, oaky wonder. I enjoy it very slowly, of course, but just letting it roll around in my mouth combines all the wonderful sensations of the proof with the deep complexities of vanilla and tobacco. The finish lingers forever. I find a sip every 10 minutes or so seems to recharge the experience. Those 4 oz last me maybe an hour!
A wonderful choice and a wonderful Bourbon!
Ken
Sadly, it is not abundant enough. I have a bottle of spring '05, so maybe I'll try some extrapolation.
Bob
I prefer the fall 05 to the spring 05. I've had all versions except the first, and of those, this may be my favorite. I like to sip it full proof - but that does constrain the way I drink it. If I think I'm going to have a few glasses I usually go for something else that's lighter.
Craig
gr8erdane
02-07-2006, 18:51
I had to mail order mine when it came out to make sure I got some and it was delivered on a cold and blustery day after sitting in a cold UPS truck half the day. I opened the box as soon as the door closed and just couldn't wait to sample. I opened the still chilled bottle and poured the smallest wee bit in a Riedel O Spirits glass and was floored by the lack of burn I experienced at this proof! All the other Staggs start off with a sting to me (which I actually consider quite pleasant) but this one didn't. However, upon revisiting the bottle later after it had warmed up it was Stagg as usual for me. This makes me wonder if a stay in the fridge might take some sting out of the brute? Guess I'll just have to experiment to find out. I normally like my bourbon room temperature but prior experiences with a single small cube of ice were almost breathtaking. I wonder why I don't repeat them? Habit I guess.
camduncan
02-07-2006, 19:11
As an owner of the 04 bottling, and being someone who is definately not likely to pick up a current variant (I can't afford the $150+ cost to import one to Australia)....
Can anyone offer a brief comparison of the two?
BourbonJoe
02-07-2006, 19:12
Dane,
The Germans keep their Schnapps in the freezer to take the sting out of it. If you drank it at room temperature it would tear your throat out. The colder the booze, the smoother it is.
Joe
JamesH007
02-07-2006, 21:02
The colder, the smoother...........but also a more closed flavor ( which the stagg does have flavor to spare, but will probobly miss out on the subtle flavors). May have to experiment w/ diffrent temps for the ulimate balance in flavor and smoothness ????
Edward_call_me_Ed
02-07-2006, 21:45
I find a sip every 10 minutes or so seems to recharge the experience. Those 4 oz last me maybe an hour!
Ken
I just did the math, those are mighty big sips you are taking!
Ed
I just did the math, those are mighty big sips you are taking!
Ed
Well, Yeah, they are.... My wife says I have a big mouth!!!!:slappin:
Virus_Of_Life
02-13-2006, 00:57
As I noted when this release first came out, I consider this a very good but not a great bourbon. Certainly not up to the standards of some of the earlier Staggs. But make no mistake about it, I enjoy it very much. I prefer to dilute it to the vacinity of 100 proof. At 141, its way to hot to allow the taste buds to appreciate the complexity.
I read somewhere here, and have spent about 2 hours trying to find it again (enough already!), how everyone ranks the releases of Staggs. Does anyone have that handy by chance? If I recall correctly the 2003 was the consensus favorite... Of course I don't know what I ask since I've only had spring 2005 (outside Kentucky of course) and fall 2005, and will most likely never find the others...
Anyway of the two I have had I do think this (Fall '05) is the better of the two. And strangely enough, I like it with no pollution!
DrinkyBanjo
02-13-2006, 05:59
Binny's in Chicago had a taste test of the full line of Stagg prior to the latest release. I believe Brett said that most picked the 129 proof as the favorite with the initial release being second.
TNbourbon
02-13-2006, 08:03
I think you'll find the most common ranking among contributors here who've tried them all prior to the current one would be:
2002
Spring 2005
2004
2003
The current Fall 2005 seems to be heading toward the top half of that list.
Virus_Of_Life
02-13-2006, 13:03
I think you'll find the most common ranking among contributors here who've tried them all prior to the current one would be:
2002
Spring 2005
2004
2003The current Fall 2005 seems to be heading toward the top half of that list.
Thanks Tim! I am not very good at remembering where I read something and finding it again later, I need mark things in my favorites more.
I guess I won't worry too much about never tasting the earlier versions since Spring 05 ranked so high and I personally think Fall is even better. Sorry to hear you're not joining in the fun and opening one of those bottles, always enjoy hearing your thoughts...
TNbourbon
02-18-2006, 20:26
Okay, lassoed a stray '05/141.2 Stagg, so didn't have to crack the 3-pack. (By the way, I left 8 more on the shelf @ $51.99 -- add 9.25% sales tax. PM me if you're attending the Sampler and can't find one. Sorry, no legal shipping from Tennessee.)
I'll try to post a note in the 'Tasting' section, but first impressions:
Lot of wet corn on the nose, not as much of the usual leather and tobacco (different mashbill? Ken? Guess maybe I ought to open that 3-pack and compare info sheets, huh?). Plenty of heat, corn follows onto the palate, with some orange/citrus. Heat dissipates slightly to a medium-long finish.
Ya wanna know my absolute first thought when it hit my tongue? ETL (on a good night) on steroids.
Sorry to hear you're not joining in the fun and opening one of those bottles, always enjoy hearing your thoughts...
Ah one of my little rituals as it pertains to Stagg is to pop the top on my first one once it is in my little hands, it helps me to decide how many more to look for, but then my general rule of not buying any other bourbon or leaving a bottle in the store , if possible, should take care of that.....
Interesting that Tim questions that this may be of another mashbill, he may be on to something............
DrinkyBanjo
02-22-2006, 07:32
My wife and I were watching TV on Friday night and I was drinking a small glass of Stagg from Spring 05. She took and sniff and thought it smelt really good, she is not a whiskey drinker but I usually make her take a sniff of what I'm sampling. She couldn't believe how nice the nose was so I told her to take a small sip and she hated it! I knew she would but I found it funny!
My wife and I were watching TV on Friday night and I was drinking a small glass of Stagg from Spring 05. She took and sniff and thought it smelt really good, she is not a whiskey drinker but I usually make her take a sniff of what I'm sampling. She couldn't believe how nice the nose was so I told her to take a small sip and she hated it! I knew she would but I found it funny!
I do the same thing with my wife. She loves to sniff all my pours, and hates to drink any of them. She loves the smell of a nice heavy ryed bourbon the most ( Buffalo Trace, Old Forester.... ) Any Staggs though smell to strong for her.
Virus_Of_Life
02-26-2006, 15:10
I just got off the phone with Binny's as I am trying to find the best deal on a 3 pack of Stagg to put away and was told they have 3 types:skep: , spring and fall '05 (ok makes sense) and The Rare release - which goes for 500 a bottle. Now he couldn't say for sure what that was, but I am guessing this has to be 2002. Anyone else have any insight into this? Obviously I am not going to pay $500 for a bottle of it, but was just curious if the 2002 GTS has reached such legendary status that it goes for that?
By the way the more I taste this Fall release, the more I think it is better than the Spring just IMO.
TimmyBoston
05-25-2006, 14:58
I haven't gotten a chance to taste any of the new Stagg, does anyone have any tasting notes they'd like to share?
I'm bumping to indicate my thoughts on the 141.2 which I tried for the first time today courtesy a friend who brought some back from D.C.. I was astonished how soft and drinkable this is for such a monster proof whiskey. It was soft as a pillow, with concentrated flavours of orange, fig and damask. I had a couple of the early Staggs and found them feisty and somewhat awkward in comparison. This is an elegant whisky and let down to about 110-115 proof is just about the best older whiskey I've ever had, no I'll come out and say it, it IS the best older whiskey I've had. Ken Weber and the others at Buffalo Trace behind this are geniuses and they've pulled a sly trick by releasing something as good as what came before if not (in my view) better, as distinctive and as quality-driven but in a completely different way. Well done gentlemen. This reminds me of the best mid-1900's bourbons I've had at Gazebo tastings except better.
Gary
bluesbassdad
05-26-2006, 17:23
. . . with concentrated flavours of orange, fig and damask.
Gary,
I am unable to find a definition of "damask" that suggests a flavor element (except perhaps in a metaphorical way, as in "silky"). Please elucidate.
Yours truly,
Dave Morefield
But damask has a smell, Dave, or can have especially older hangings and other decor made from it, and smell and flavour are often hard to separate. Damask can have an odor of musk, of perfumed cloth. This is what I meant.
Gary
bluesbassdad
05-26-2006, 23:32
Gary,
We have here yet another instance of my life-long cultural and socio-economic deprivation.
Now burlap I know definitely has a smell of its own. :grin:
Yours truly,
Dave Morefield
hollywood
07-09-2006, 11:43
I have the GTS of ole, and have just found/purchased the GTS '05 not to long ago...the nose/taste to me on the older stuff had strong hints of date and/or figs...how does the newer stuff compare? Obviously, I haven't busted open my '05...just looking for some more thoughts in anticipation of doing so!
The Fall '05 is lighter than previous issues, more elegant, and has a more ethereal nose and taste. Specifically it has the trademark taste of smoke and "old roses". It is in a word excellent, and a fine value.
Gary
Ubertaster
08-10-2006, 05:34
The gunfighter walked up to the bar for one last drink before he had to go out to meet the sheriff for the showdown. "Give me a shot of your best whiskey" he said as he only had a few minutes before the clock struck 12:00 noon. The bartender grabbed the bottle of George T. Stagg fall 05 and poured a shot into the glass that spilled over the edge onto the bar. The gunfighter sipped about half his drink and wondered if he made a mistake as an upside down atomic bomb exploded in his belly.
Yes this is a bourbon for real men. It is bold and rich unlike any other I have tasted. It has a caramel and molasses nose and flavor that stays long after the sip. It is the bourbon that gunfighters, cowboys, and real men end up with at the end of the night.
bj
Got a new bottle of Stagg today. Must be Spring 2006. Going to pop it open for a pour soon. :cool:
nor02lei
12-02-2006, 03:16
Got a new bottle of Stagg today. Must be Spring 2006. Going to pop it open for a pour soon. :cool:
George,
I did also get a bottle of the new Stagg on the post yesterday. It was a “bourbon enthusiast” that I meat at Bourbon Bistro in Louisville that shipped it to me. (hope that’s not a crime on this forum). I will also try it soon or at least before Christmas.
Leif
George,
I did also get a bottle of the new Stagg on the post yesterday. It was a “bourbon enthusiast” that I meat at Bourbon Bistro in Louisville that shipped it to me. (hope that’s not a crime on this forum). I will also try it soon or at least before Christmas.
Leif
Crime or not..is there a secure way to ship this stuff? I bought a bottle of GTS for my brother but I couldn't find a way to ship it. USPS stole a case of Budvar that my brother sent me and shipping has never been the same for me again. Yes, I had to keep old George...Thanks in advance
Bob K
ggilbertva
04-17-2007, 18:27
Got a new bottle of Stagg today. Must be Spring 2006. Going to pop it open for a pour soon. :cool:
Geo,
Do you mean Spring '05? To my knowledge there was only 1 release in '06 and that was October.
ggilbertva
04-17-2007, 18:30
I've only tried the Spring '05 release of Stagg. I have unopened, Spring '05, Fall '05 and two Fall '06 releases. I've been procrastinating on opening any of the bottles since I have other premiums currently open. My next premium bottle to open was going to be PVW 15 but I may have to pop open that Stagg '06.
ggilbertva
04-19-2007, 19:53
For anyone local to Northern Virginia and is looking for Stagg. I came across 6 bottles (dusty) sitting on the shelf of a local ABC. I believe they were all '06 releases.
I've only tried the Spring '05 release of Stagg. I have unopened, Spring '05, Fall '05 and two Fall '06 releases. I've been procrastinating on opening any of the bottles since I have other premiums currently open. My next premium bottle to open was going to be PVW 15 but I may have to pop open that Stagg '06.
The Fall '05 and Fall '06 GTS are both excellent. I would love to hear your thoughts on them side by side! I've never had the guts to open more than one bottle of GTS at a time. In fact, I'm just about considering hiding my second (unopened) bottle of Fall '06 somewhere I won't be able to find it---just so I can rest easy knowing that somewhere, nearby there is always a pristine bottle of Stagg. The mere thought of arriving at a point in my life where I don't have a bottle of Stagg around is a depressing thought.
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