squire Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Stagg is an overproof (think 151 proof rum) whisky that does not lend itself to drinking neat. The level of dilution is entirely up to you, I'm mindful that professional tasters/blenders dilute their tasting samples to 20% (40 proof) alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compliance Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 You have to give it a try neat. There's not much like it when you drink it that way, it's the bazooka of bourbon. Small sips is the key, put a drop on your tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Squire, you are right with your Stagg comment. That said, the unfortunate thing with the 2012 is that even a bit of water does little to help the drinkability. While it lowers the proof, it does not temper the hotness like in previous releases. I am so surprised to see this receive such positive reviews from everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonandbacon Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Shuboy, i think the best way is to try it two ways, one, neat, and then two with water. i dont know what the most recent bottling of stagg is, but i think mine is from 2011 and is 143 proof. pretty hot. that being said, with a small sip, i can still taste it, but to enjoy every sip, i water it down some. to each his own on how much, if any. many people here enjoy barrel proofers for that reason, it allows them to adjust the proof as they see fit. always good to try things neat first, just to see what you can handle as some juice reads less hot than the proof says it should and visa versa. the second way i like to try barrel proofers is to lower the proof with water, to "normal" proof or even less (many distillers taste at 40 proof). I really enjoy searching out all the levels of flavors in barrel proof bourbons and often find things on my taste buds that i didnt find at 90 or 143 proof. i dont do this with every glass, but sometimes it nice to sort of deconstruct the bourbon a bit at a lower proof and then when you go back to drinking it at a higher one, you can see what you may have missed with all that alcohol getting in your way. congrats on your first bottle of stagg. good luck, people always enjoy reading other's tasting notes. especially since it often inspires others to break out their own bottles for a taste... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuboy Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try this neat first but try different amounts of water later.I've heard the 2012 Stagg doesn't quite reach the level of previous years so I'm kind of glad I haven't tasted those. This will mean my 2012 bottle is going to be my personal "benchmark" to compare against future releases (if I'm lucky to find one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffrey r Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) Just remember, drinking GTS "neat", does not mean the same thing as drinking Four Roses Yellow Label "neat". The latter you can sip, drink, gulp, whatever. As stated above, with the GTS you really need to take small sips, and just put a bit on your tongue. It is intense. The 2012 was my first taste of GTS, and I can't complain. Good stuff.And then, it is interesting to try with different amounts of water. For regular drinking, I need to bring higher proofs down a bit--my reflux is bad enough as it is... Enjoy. Edited March 12, 2013 by jeffrey r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I can't agree with jeffrey r enough wtih the caution on small sips. Great advice. At first, don't even think about really swallowing it. And, whatever you do, don't let it wash unimpeded to the back of your throat. Ouch! A first bad experience with something as potent as GTS can ruin you on Barrel Proofers forever. Very, very, slooooooowwwww... We're makin' this sound really FUN, ain't we!!?? I've been quite happy with the 2012 GTS, and think it is a good representative of the line. It's stellar whiskey, IMO, and you did well to land one. :toast: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 We're makin' this sound really FUN, ain't we!!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerlam92 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Also you can try it with a cube of ice or two. Try it in all different ways to see what you like best. CheersHugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black mamba Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 I've tried all 5 of the BTACs in the last three years, and they all improve some with air, the low rye GTS and ER17 the most.My ER17 didn't start drinking really good until it was a third gone. Open the bottle and leave it sit for an hour before you pour. Start with 2 parts GTS to 1 part water. If it's too weak, just keep adding a splash of brown until it tastes right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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