: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed proportions of corn, wheat and malted barley Proof: 108 This drinks well below 108 proof in an unfortunately lackluster delivery.

Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley Proof: 100 ° Age: 10 years Further identification: This is the Spring 2023 Release of Old Fitzgerald which comes

“The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity, and the brute by instinct.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero If you are on the hunt for Stagg this year, you have come to the right place. I have had the good fortune of trying most of the existing Stagg Jr. releases through the years and regularly recalibrate my ratings against previous batches. You'll find my full power ranking at the Stagg Hub , your one-stop shop for all things Stagg Jr. and George T. Stagg. It has all the proofs, the rankings, the history, and more. It is through this lens that I am ready to examine the 3rd batch that was released at a strangely quick pace in the winter of 2025. 2025 Batches by Proof/ABV 25A : 126.5° / 63.25% 25B : 126.9° / 63.45% 25C : 125.6° / 62.8% 25D : 129.2° / 64.6% As I wrote in my review of batch 25D , I think Buffalo Trace needs to slow down on the release pace and hone back in on quality. I would much prefer to see two releases that knock my socks off than have to spend so much time informing folks which batches are worth scooping versus leaving on the shelf. Part of why I decided to go so deep on reviewing Stagg Jr. batches was because I was the guy standing in a liquor store back in 2018, staring at 5 different proofs without any sense of what the differences between them would be. I had no clue which ones were good or if any of them were worth haggling over. I am glad I took that risk back in the day, and I hope this review puts you in a more informed position than I found myself in back then. Company on Label:  Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky Whiskey Type:  Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey Mash Bill Percentages:  Undisclosed Buffalo Trace mash bill # 1 (high corn, low rye, and malted barley) Proof:  125.6° Age:  NAS (though rumored to typically be around 8 years old) Buy online:   Frootbat Further identification:  This is the 25C batch of Stagg bourbon, which arrived in winter 2025 Nose:  As I get into my first smell of the glass, I find a wave of traditional bourbon caramel that runs right down the middle. Black pepper and allspice swing in gentle spice before a wave of decaying fall leaves takes over the experience. Long inhales are a bit metallic but settle into small pops of vanilla and caramel. I can't say I'm too excited yet nosing through, as the simple aromas come across a bit synthetic. After a long rest, things settle into a comfortable territory that is just simple, classic Buffalo Trace bourbon ramped up to a comfortable proof. Light toffee and candy wrapper aromas fill my nostrils late in the glass. The empty glass smells like graham crackers and vanilla Tootsie Rolls. Palate:  Putting glass to lips I find the black pepper and allspice the nose was touting, as well as the big sploosh of caramel that falls over the entire tongue in a scrawny, thin mouthfeel. Sampling again is a carbon copy of the first, a rather one-note caramel experience. Dutifully plumbing the depths reveals a bit of anise and burnt pancake scraps before a metallic linger takes over. For a seasoned Stagg Man, this is pretty disappointing overall, but if this was your first-ever Stagg batch, I don't think you would notice as much. Light raspberry tones start to ramp up late in the pour but fail to materialize in a meaningful way. As I continue to work through this pour, I find myself easily distracted with things other than the whiskey as it fails to capture my attention. My last sip is mundane yet enjoyable, with more vanilla tones proliferating on a medium-length finish. TL;DR: Crowd-pleasing, airy bourbon that doesn't quite suck Rating:  3/5 Middle of the road whiskey. An average showing. With 25D firmly in the dud category, 25C manages to elevate the experience quite a bit. While it doesn't soar as high as some other batches I have reviewed , if you can find this at MSRP, I am sure it'll be a crushable bottle for you and your friends to enjoy. If you are a more tenured enthusiast like me, you'll want to seek out batch 25A or 25B for a little more quality. If you find this style of honest review appealing, consider subscribing to my once-monthly newsletter , where I give the inside scoop on all kinds of whiskeys that are worth hunting as well as which ones to skip. Cheers! WRITTEN BY: NICK ANDERSON With over a decade of sipping experience, Nick Anderson brings a well-calibrated palate to his profound passion for the whiskey industry. Beginning in Irish whiskey before expanding into bourbon, rye, and beyond, he has long been taking the ephemeral observation of unspoken enjoyment and translating it into meaningful words. He is the owner and primary long-winded whiskey writer for AmongstTheWhiskey.com , and he hopes you find resonance in the patient conveyance of an honest whiskey review.

Hill's highly coveted Old Fitzgerald decanter series comes with another drop in age after riding high at 10 Whiskey Type:  Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages:  68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley Proof:  100 marks a double-slip in quality, with this release following suit with the same score as I gave to the 10 At first sip of the older release, I find a much thicker, richer mouth coating that offers delicacies

“If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.” – Anatole France What do you do when one of your favorite local liquor stores has a bottle of Stagg Junior hiding in plain sight? First, you confirm it's available for sale at a reasonable price, and then you pop it with the folks at the shop, of course! That's exactly what I did with my friends over at Curtis Liquors in Weymouth, MA when I found this batch 25B hiding in the lockup case. With the foil peeled and cork popped, we were delighted with our first pour from a new batch, especially after how good batch 25A was. Whiskey always tastes better when you share it with good people. Since then, I've been dutifully working through this bottle, with a little help from my friends, of course. I have been a long time fan of Stagg Jr I was excited to get into 25B again, thinking it was going to be the great finale of 2025, until I heard news of new batches showing up again. Like 2024, it seems we were fated to have four releases. Batches 25C and 25D started to hit shelves at nuanced proofs, something I have tracked over time in my Stagg Hub article—well worth a bookmark if you haven't already. Of course I have since hunted those down and had all four on hand to compare and contrast. I'll give you my power rankings for 2025 down below, but you'll have to check out that Stagg Hub link to see how they feather into the broader release landscape. Company on Label:  Distilled, aged, & bottled by Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky Whiskey Type:  Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey Mash Bill Percentages:  Undisclosed Buffalo Trace mash bill # 1 (high corn, low rye, and malted barley) Proof:  126.9° Age:  NAS (though rumored to typically be around 8 years old) Buy online:   Frootbat Further identification:  This is the 25B batch of Stagg bourbon, which arrived in winter 2025 Nose:  Oh yes... immediately I find a classic Stagg bourbon nose in this glass. With a widening smile, I pick up caramel apple and sweet rickhouse funk aromas. This is well balanced overall, allowing me to get my nose as far into the glencairn as I care to search, which is all the way, naturally. Level oak is pervasive and tells a tale of age and wisdom. Hints of fresh topsoil come to mind on long inhales. Floral characteristics build in neat little surprises along the way before ebbing away, revealing incredible sweet fruit. Nosing further, strawberry puree and orange creamsicle aromas tantalize and excite. This is a really fun pour so far. After a sip, the nose only gets better as more of those strawberry tones come in, bolstered by new sweetness that reminds me of fruit punch. Layer in the complexity of an underlying scent of root beer, and you've got a beautiful depth of aroma here. Late in the glass, the slow takeover of floral tones begins again, a wonderful evolution that continues to have staying power in this glass. The core characteristic continues to be a beautiful vanilla profile. The empty glass smells of waffles and light macadamia nuts. Palate:  On the tongue, ubiquitous sweetness from distinguished strawberry cake lands just right with a little bit of a kick at the end that reminds you this is barrel proof bourbon and not actually dessert. It's an exciting, rambunctious pour right from the get-go. Another sip is easier than the first, oozing orange marmalade before finishing with a tingling mouthfeel that feels like sucking down an ice-cold root beer float. The linger is quite solid, but not quite dialed up to maximum potential as light cola and indistinct breadiness fade to black. Subsequent sips reveal a continual array of balance and flavor, everything one should expect out of a well-made barrel proof bourbon. I'm finding loads of vanilla tones now, the back end of that orange creamsicle from the nose, but just lacking a little bit of that creaminess translating into the mouthfeel. Chewing a little further shows off that sweet fruit punch character, coming across more like Sweet Tarts now. I find myself taking small sips to savor this one fully, because it is hitting quite a few great notes right now. I am quite pleased as the orange creamsicle character returns with beautiful vengeance. My last sip is a complete treat as the simple vanilla profile reigns proud in its consistency. The finish is low and brooding but rumbles on quite long with nothing off, just a wave of candy sweetness as far as the mind can see. TL;DR: Batch 25B shows out strong with consistent core flavors and a little flair Rating:  4/5 Really good. I want one of these on my shelf. With how approachable this pour is and the flavors being on a range that I think folks will enjoy, 25B is definitely a beautiful batch worth hunting down if you can find it. If you like my long-form tasting notes, no-nonsense rating scale, or thorough tasting process, consider subscribing to my once-monthly newsletter so you don't miss out on the next best bourbon! Since I now have reviews done of all the 2025 batches, here is my power ranking: Batch 25A Batch 25B Batch 25C Batch 25D A neat little descent into madness, isn't it? WRITTEN BY: NICK ANDERSON With over a decade of sipping experience, Nick Anderson brings a well-calibrated palate to his profound passion for the whiskey industry. Beginning in Irish whiskey before expanding into bourbon, rye, and beyond, he has long been taking the ephemeral observation of unspoken enjoyment and translating it into meaningful words. He is the owner and primary long-winded whiskey writer for AmongstTheWhiskey.com , and he hopes you find resonance in the patient conveyance of an honest whiskey review.

“Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it.” –Mandy Hale Little information ever follows the often unannounced arrival of a new Stagg Jr batch. It's part of the reason why I've dedicated a significant portion of my writing time to cover the ups and downs of this sometimes vaunted release. While there has been much debate lately on consistency, both in terms of general quality and bottle-to-bottle variation, one thing has remained relatively constant through the years: the cost. Stagg Junior (yes, I still use the Junior) represents great value for folks who are into cask-strength Kentucky bourbon. It has solid age on it, which unfortunately we only know from experienced tasters trying it and estimating since Buffalo Trace does not offer clear stats on their labels or website information. The flavors are typically bold and boisterous on this pour; it's one that even inexperienced tasters should be finding some specific tasting notes on. If you're one of those sensory description skeptics, perhaps this is a bottle to try. While I still recognize that access is still a limiting factor, if you find this on a shelf for anything near MSRP, it's a buy all day for me for any new batch. They seem to be coming around in better numbers these days, but perhaps that's just my new whiskey hunting tendencies. I go to a gym that happens to be right next to an awesome liquor store in my home state, so I pop in six out of the seven days of the week typically. That helps with the access part. As for the quality distinction, that's where the reviews come in. You also have to take a "believability score" into consideration when reading any review. A few questions you could ask yourself as you think through the believability of any whiskey review you encounter might be the following: "Did this person get a bottle for free?" "Does the reviewer have an ongoing business relationship with the producer?" "Has this reviewer tasted enough of this category to know the full range of quality?" For me, I have been thoughtfully tasting whiskey for over a decade and writing about it professionally since 2018. I always disclose if and when I have received a bottle for free in my reviews, as well as when there is a paid partnership involved, which is incredibly rare. In terms of Stagg experience, I've tasted nearly every batch at this point. You might call reviewing Stagg my shtick. I encourage you to think about believability going forward; it's helped me tremendously in my work life. You've stuck with me this far, dear reader; shall we venture into the whiskey? Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY Whiskey Type: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Buffalo Trace mash bill # 1 (high corn, low rye, malted barley) Proof: 125.2° (62.6%) Age: NAS (though rumored to typically be around 8 years old) Buy Online: Frootbat Further identification: Batch 26B of Stagg first released in the Summer of 2026 Nose: After a longer-than-intended rest in the glass, my nose finds an open barn door giving off faint hay aromas before a sweeter bouquet blooms from that warm, earthy bed. Classic Stagg Junior cherry and cinnamon tones give me some confidence that this is going to be an enjoyable pour. Black pepper, molasses, gingerbread cookie, and dark caramel come together in a classic bourbon profile that fills my nostrils with clean bliss. Long inhales are soft and easy, presenting no trace of a harsh edge or ethanol at all. It's that "just right" porridge, with oodles of caramel tones to enjoy. After a sip, vanilla frosting cakes every surface of the glass with another easy profile that continues to be vibrant and alive in the glass. Cherry cordial returns with more exploration, my favorite part of this pour. Sniff too long, though, and the glass might go cold on you as it has for me. The empty glencairn smells of pancake batter and lovely milk chocolate. Palate: My first sip is a bigger punch than I was expecting based on the gentleness of the nose, but this is a cask strength bourbon after all. The mouthfeel is thick and elegant, like a gourmet dessert prepared by an expert chef. This particular dessert consists of red velvet cake with a creamy drizzle, adorned with a sweet red raspberry for flavor and presentation. It's layered like a dessert too. Lovely. Subsequent sips continue to amplify the experience and impress all of my senses. Sipping this feels like waking up on the right side of the bed, finding a surprise hundred dollar bill in your pocket, and getting an unprompted compliment from a stranger all at once. It's like a good day that just keeps getting better. Sipping near the bottom of the glass reveals the same sticky, thick caramel bliss the glass started with. The last dregs of the glass finish strong with amaretto, cinnamon, peach, and cranberry. This has been a lovely dram from start to finish. TL;DR: Big, bold, beautiful flavors like Stagg has been known for for over a decade Rating: 4/5 Really good. I want one of these on my shelf. Finally, a proper callback to the Stagg Jr days of old. A return to form, if you will. This is the Stagg team figuring it out again: the right barrels at the right time with the right flavor profile. I hope they can continue to capture the magic that they pulled off with 26B for many years to come. While this still won't dethrone the likes of the elder George T. Stagg release, it does represent an incredible value for fans of bold Kentucky bourbon. It handily earns the "Keep Amongst the Whiskey" distinction, as I am hunting backups with conviction right now. WRITTEN BY: NICK ANDERSON With over a decade of sipping experience, Nick Anderson brings a well-calibrated palate to his profound passion for the whiskey industry. Beginning with Irish whiskey before expanding into bourbon, rye, and beyond, he has long been taking the ephemeral observation of unspoken enjoyment and translating it into meaningful words. He is the owner and primary long-winded whiskey writer for AmongstTheWhiskey.com, and he hopes you find resonance in the patient conveyance of an honest whiskey review.

As the liquid disappears, richer notes of molasses, soft leather, and tissue paper appear.

This year, a 10 year rye stood out so we went back in for round 2 with Roger Miller on the vintage hit Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 74% Rye, 11% Corn, 15% Malted Barley Proof: 118.6° Age: 10

“Halftime is where champions rewrite the playbook—reflect, refuel, return stronger.”  - Farshad Asl There's a moment when you feel the tides shifting, when the game is on the line and suddenly—you feel that glimmer of hope. I've been lucky to have felt it many times in my lifetime as a Massachusetts native watching Drew Bledsoe, Adam Vinatieri, and Tom Brady win Super Bowl after Super Bowl for the infamous New England Patriots. Perhaps the most incredible comeback story of them all was the 28 to 3 deficit in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI against the 2017 Atlanta Falcons. After an abysmal performance in the first half, the game looked all but over... but then, there was a spark. Brady flashed to life, jumping into a no-huddle formation that saw a flurry of crisp, perfected plays. With time bleeding out, the scoreline evened, and the veteran quarterback, ready to take this game to the finish line, beat down the visibly exhausted Falcons defense, which was ultimately defeated by James White crossing the goal line in overtime. Will 2025 be the year for Stagg? While these iconic stories can seem rare, there are countless opportunities we're given to live out this exact same heroic arc. It's the story of the comeback kid, down and out after a bout of bad luck, ready to win it all. Stagg, in all its post-junior tumult, is in one such position. After a pretty atrocious showing in 2024 , this brand is ripe for a return to glory. Having tasted 18 different expressions of the junior line, I am not ashamed to admit that I love this bottling. I self-proclaim myself to be a "Stagg man," but that doesn't mean I'm willing to accept sub-par quality. In accordance with my strict editorial policy , I regularly review the latest and greatest whiskey. Sometimes bottles are sent to me, but more often than not I have to buy them with my own scratch. This bottle is an example of the latter. With the patience of the collective community wearing thin and demand seemingly cratering for whiskey in general, now is the time for brands to be leading with their best. Blending prowess and distilling knowledge will be how the modern distiller survives what appears to be another era of an impending bourbon glut. The last time we saw this kind of lopsided supply and demand ratio, more than a few distilleries fell by the wayside . One lucky distillery has stood the test of time, though it had to change hands a few times through the glut era. Known historically as the George T. Stagg Distillery, the comeback story of Frankfort saw the eventual Buffalo Trace property undergo piecemeal ownership transfers between names like Albert B. Blanton, Ancient Age Distilling Company, Schenley, Age International, and Japan's own Takara Shuzo, namesake of the Japanese Blanton's export. Stagg, however, is an even older name. In what I wrote about further in my Stagg Hub article, the origin of the George T. Stagg name goes all the way back to 1835, the birth of the name itself. While Buffalo Trace continues to use the name for marketing purposes, the whiskey they produce today is very much their own contemporary creation, governed by modern distilling practices. What we are tasting now will be part of the legacy of our generation. Will future tasters look back on us as fondly as we look back upon George T. Stagg, I wonder? Today I will be diving into the latest batch of Stagg, formerly known as Stagg Junior, which is their 28th bottling of this expression since their first release in the winter of 2013 . As usual, I'm tasting this neat out of a glencairn on a fresh and sober palate, and my notes and rating are based on three independent tastings of this bottle. Now, on with the review! Company on Label:  Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY Whiskey Type:  Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey Mash Bill Percentages:   Undisclosed Buffalo Trace mash bill # 1 (high corn, low rye, malted barley) Proof:  126.5° Age:  NAS (though rumored to typically be around 8 years old) MSRP: $70 Further identification:  This is the 25A batch of Stagg Jr, which first arrived in late summer 2025 Nose:  On first lifting the glass to my nose, I find sweet caramel dominant and candied apple a bit more reserved. Another long inhale shows little evidence of spice, but a sweet, soothing strawberry aroma can be teased out of the cool depths. Blooming with a little stirred heat, I find graham cracker and white pepper. A stronger swirl transforms the glass into evocative oak before it settles back into Hershey's strawberry syrup. Deep inhales produce a bit of tingling wood spice, as one might expect out of a decently aged Kentucky bourbon at this proof. Nosing further, I find wafts of molasses, cornbread, and brown sugar all playing minor background roles. As I try to dig further, the glass runs out of steam and turns a bit thin with a simple vanilla and allspice remnant hanging on in the wispy air of my glencairn. I'm pleased with the opening remarks, but it's time for a sip. Coming back to the nose, which I nearly forgot to do as I sipped through with eager attention, leaves me with a widening smile. Vanilla biscotti, caramel chews, and light strawberry candy offer a perpetual treat for the nostrils. The empty glass smells of light marshmallow and the inside of a camping tent. Palate:  My first taste is hotter than the nose let on; ethanol booms as cordial falls softly on the tongue. Another sip, free from the aftershock of the day's first sip of whiskey, offers a much deeper complexity. Caramel cookies dipped in strawberry milk make my nostalgic taste buds quite happy. The flavor categories from the nose translate well; I find the strawberry syrup backbone, the molasses mouth coating, and the inherent oak, but they land a touch drier than expected overall. Sipping further without reservations about quality, I discover this glass does have the classic cherry hots that Stagg Junior may be most known for. It's a bold profile I couldn't possibly recommend to a whiskey novice, but one I know the longtime bourbon heads will probably enjoy. A long sip settles things down significantly, with an easy booziness you might find in a Manhattan cocktail. The linger is a bit lacking, though the delivery of flavor is on point. On swallowing, a nice wave of cranberry juice comes over the senses before fading into a simple bed of flour. My last sip is kind and sweet to me, calling forth a wonderful array of memories of some of my favorite Louisville nights, sipping on the old great batches of Stagg Junior at Garage Bar as the sun takes flight. For the first time in quite a while, I'm thoroughly pleased with this pour of Stagg Junior. TL;DR: A lovely return to form for Stagg with a balanced strawberry-forward dram Rating:  4/5 Really good. I want one of these on my shelf. This reminds me quite a bit of Stagg Jr batch 15 . The strawberry tones are incredibly unique to these particular batches, though I find batch 15 to be a bit more pronounced and consistent. It is so wonderful to see Stagg Junior, a line I have consistently explored through most of my review career, returning to a form that I can endorse as "whiskey that doesn't suck." If you want to see a live review of my first taste of this batch, head over to the HackandMack YouTube live that I recently jumped on for some fun whiskey banter between good folks. WRITTEN BY: NICK ANDERSON With over a decade of sipping experience, Nick Anderson brings a well-calibrated palate to his profound passion for the whiskey industry. Beginning in Irish whiskey before expanding into bourbon, rye, and beyond, he has long been taking the ephemeral observation of unspoken enjoyment and translating it into meaningful words. He is the owner and primary long-winded whiskey writer for AmongstTheWhiskey.com , and he hopes you find resonance in the patient conveyance of an honest whiskey review.

This edition of Master’s Keep is a “Triumph” – at 10-years-old, it’s the oldest age-stated rye we’ve ° Age:  10 years Further identification:  This is the 2024 release of Master's Keep, ringing in at an Bonus Comparative Tasting & Ranking of Pinnacle Rye Whiskeys: Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph 10 Year Rye vs Rare Character Brook Hill 11 Year MGP Rye vs Parker's Heritage Collection 10 Year Rye Wild Turkey Parker's Heritage Collection 10 Year Rye: Dark, tannic oak tones lead the way upon lifting the glass

proof - Winter 2019 Batch 12 - 132.3 proof - Summer 2019 Batch 11 - 127.9 proof - Winter 2018 Batch 10 Trace Distillery Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (Low Rye < 10%

Distillery Whiskey Type: Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 70% Rye, 18% Corn, 12% Malted Barley Proof: 100