2020 George T. Stagg 130.4°

 

Nose: A refined, sweetness-ingrained, slightly spicy nose with lingering numbness in the backdrop. Reminds me of desert sand rising on the horizon… or maybe the curtains of the stage slowly opening up. The second sniff brings out a mature old smell, like something very experienced and been-there, done-that mentality.  The spice picks up more towards the end of the nosing; I guess you can call that the finish of the nose?  Very inviting… almost immediately, it intrigues the mind and invites you to savor its depths. 

 

Palate: When people approach GTS, they think of strength, but that is for those who have yet to enter the depths of bourbon. GTS, overall, is one of the most balanced of all bourbon expressions. GTS commands exceptional complexity beyond just the sweetness due to the rye characteristics; there is a strong depth of mid-palate while possessing a very good heat profile and long lingering finish. This year’s expression was rumored to have some 2005 GTS in it; I don’t know if that is true... Buffalo Trace barreled this in the Spring of 2005 – maybe they had the foresight to leave some of 2005 GTS to put in this expression.  Such a myriad of flavors… the first thought is a slight grassiness infused with notes of floral swirled with sweetness. It didn’t taste hot to me, despite drinking it neat and solo.  But the little sip consumed elicited a warming buzz to the body. There are layers upon layers of flavor amid such good heat and balance. If you know how to heat-manipulate the flavor by drawing in the air slowly at the end, the feeling is a comprehensive warming sensation. The warmth stays with you so well | I can imagine going hunting amide the slight cold dew morning lying in wait. As it begins to feel a tinge of frigidness, taking a sip of this GTS immediately dissipates any feeling of cold that one would possess - how could it not?...

 

Verdict: When I first went to Buffalo Trace’s gift shop (knowing nothing about bourbon) with my friend Lt Col Ever Zavala from our recent Afghanistan deployment because he was in town, I, like many of us, played with the little machine that told you to pick the proof, where to store the bourbon, etc.  The selected expression they had for me was George T. Stagg… I can remember thinking, “Oh cool.  What the hell is that?” and walked away. Thinking back, I guess the machine was quite right...

 

Being 130.4 proof, I thought this would be better than the previous year’s expression; I didn’t expect it to be this good.  Better than expected, Tier 4, maybe Tier 3… will have to revisit when compared side by side to its brethren one day. 

    

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