BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY Announces First Ever “The Prohibition Collection”. What You Need To Know.

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In the wise words of SLJ – “HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS“…Buffalo Trace Distillery (Frankfort, KY) dropped a bomb of a release announcement this week with its first ever The Prohibition Collection: an annual limited-edition, multi-bottle collection honoring the whiskeys that were legally produced and sold at the distillery during arguably the most contentious time […]

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buffalo

In the wise words of SLJ – “HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS“…Buffalo Trace Distillery (Frankfort, KY) dropped a bomb of a release announcement this week with its first ever The Prohibition Collection: an annual limited-edition, multi-bottle collection honoring the whiskeys that were legally produced and sold at the distillery during arguably the most contentious time period in alcohol history.

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Known then as the George T. Stagg Distillery, the debut release tributes five Prohibition Era-brands that have, until now, disappeared: Old Stagg, Golden Wedding, Three Feathers, Walnut Hill and George T. Stagg Spiritus Frumenti.

From 1920 to 1933, the production, sale and transportation of alcohol was banned in the United States due to the ratification of the 18th amendment to the United States Constitution, an era known as Prohibition. Purchasing alcohol was only legal with a medical prescription. At the time, many doctors believed spirits to be a cure for a wide variety of ailments. As such, the U.S. Government granted licenses to six distilleries to bottle medicinal whiskey: one of those distilleries was the George T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort, KY. Known today as Buffalo Trace Distillery, it is the longest continually-operating distillery in America.

Inaugural 5 Bottle Collection:

The inaugural Prohibition Collection features five whiskeys, each created in tribute to a historic brand that was housed at the Buffalo Trace Distillery site during Prohibition:

•       Old Stagg, a barrel-proof (132.4 proof), uncut and unfiltered whiskey featuring an oaky, vanilla aroma; sweet and mellow taste with notes of leather and dark cherries and a smooth vanilla finish. Old Stagg was originally created in honor of former owner George T. Stagg and replaced O.F.C. Bourbon as the Distillery’s flagship brand. Today, the brand lives on as Stagg and George T. Stagg, both barrel proof whiskeys that have their roots in this Prohibition era brand.

•       Golden Wedding, a 107-proof rye whiskey that has heavy rye on the nose; a grainy, herbal taste with notes of dill pickle and rye; and a spicy, smokey finish with a hint of banana. The brand, which dates back to 1869, was originally produced by Schenley Distilling at the Joseph S. Finch Distillery in Pennsylvania. During Prohibition, its bottling was split between Schenley’s Pennsylvania distillery and the George T. Stagg Distillery. In the late 1940’s, the brand was moved to Schenley’s distillery in Canada and would become a Canadian whiskey before ceasing to exist in the late 20th century.

•       Three Feathers, a 100-proof, bottled-in-bond whiskey created by Buffalo Trace Master Blender Drew Mayville. Dating back to at least 1812, Three Feathers was first advertised as a luxurious rye before becoming a bonded and then a blended whiskey. Today’s recreation presents a vanilla, charred oak aroma with stone and light tropical fruit taste, and smokey, caramel and a slight cocoa finish.

•       Walnut Hill, a 90-proof high-rye bourbon featuring a slightly citrus aroma with light corn and oak notes; sweet molasses, stone fruit and vanilla taste; and a smokey, woodsy finish. This historic spirit was bottled by the George T. Stagg Distillery during Prohibition with production overseen by President Albert Blanton.

•       George T. Stagg Distillery Spiritus Frumenti, a 110-proof wheated bourbon honoring the medicinal whiskey produced at the George T. Stagg Distillery. “Spiritus Frumenti,” which translates as “Spirit of the Grain” in Latin, existed as a generic name for medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. Tasting notes include an aroma of caramelized brown sugar; fruity yet floral taste with notes of cherry and oak; and finishes with vanilla, wheat and citrus.

“We stand behind our motto, ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change’,” says Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller. “Each of these brands disappeared slowly in the years after Prohibition, but they were integral to our survival. Without them, today there would be no Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare or Weller bourbons. The Prohibition Collection is a tribute to these great whiskeys from our past.”

“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we build brands based on real, authentic stories firmly rooted in the rich history of excellent whiskey making in America,” says Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director for Buffalo Trace Distillery. “When we discovered these brands – and others – in our distillery’s history, we could not wait to bring them back to life and tell their stories again. By aging and selling barrels from numerous distilleries all over the country, the Buffalo Trace Distillery site played a key role in keeping American Whiskey alive during one of the most unique periods in the history of the spirits industry.”

The entire collection is housed in a custom wooden display case, with each of the five 375ml bottles heavily-inspired by their Prohibition Era packaging and original bottle size: even the back cartons feature the cut-out for doctors to apply the prescription for medicinal whiskey, without which one could not legally purchase alcohol.

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The Prohibition Collection will be rolling out in limited quantities to its distributor network, which will ship to select retailers, bars and restaurants across the United States as of October 2023 at a suggested retail price of $999.99 (five 375ml bottles); state taxes will vary per market.

For more information, please visit https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/prohibition-collection.html.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort,  Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 40 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its George T. Stagg was named World Whiskey of the Year for 2022 and its Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was named 2nd Finest Whiskey in the World for 2022.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com

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Stagg Jr. Batch 16 Reveiw

Have you ever had a Stagg Jr. bourbon ? Big Chief was able to snag a bottle of Stagg Jr. Batch 16 this bourbon hunting season. Stagg Jr. is the little brother of the 15-19 year old George T. Stagg bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery’s antique collection . Don’t be fooled though, it is

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Have you ever had a Stagg Jr. bourbon ?

Big Chief was able to snag a bottle of Stagg Jr. Batch 16 this bourbon hunting season.

Stagg Jr. is the little brother of the 15-19 year old George T. Stagg bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery‘s antique collection . Don’t be fooled though, it is highly sought after.

We hope you enjoy Jim and Mike’s review.    Be sure to listen to the podcast episode on your favorite platform to hear more.  Cheers!

Tasting Notes: Stagg Jr. Batch 16

Vital Stats: Batch 16 is non age stated but it is a batch of 7-9 year old barrels. It comes in at a whopping 130.9 proof and the mashbill is believed to be 75% corn, 10% rye and 15% malted barley. It has an MSRP of $49.99

Appearance: Worst bottle in the business, but the amazing dark amber bourbon inside makes up for it.

Nose: Heavy with a chocolate covered cherry with a little cinnamon. Strong oak with vanilla and caramel. All you would want in a bourbon.

Palate: Thick and heavy that will make your mouth water. Deep cinnamon richness with burnt toffee and chocolates. It has a Kentucky wildcat inside that will grab hold of your tongue and then beat it with a barrel stave.

Finish: Medium to long with a deep Kentucky hug.

Overall: Wow this is for grown folk with such a high proof. It’s a buy all day long and we never pass up a bottle at retail. Don’t walk past this one.

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Stagg Jr. is Growing Up: Changes Coming for Batch 18

Stagg Jr.18 is a big deal in the world of growing up. You graduate high school (for the majority), can buy smokes, vote, join the military, can legally be kicked out of your parents home…lots of things happening. Buffalo Trace Distillery, makers of the highly sought after Stagg Jr., has decided to use this symbolic notion […]

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Stagg Jr.

18 is a big deal in the world of growing up. You graduate high school (for the majority), can buy smokes, vote, join the military, can legally be kicked out of your parents home…lots of things happening. Buffalo Trace Distillery, makers of the highly sought after Stagg Jr., has decided to use this symbolic notion as they are permanently dropping the “Jr.” from the label name beginning with Batch 18. For reference, Batch 17 is approaching soon in the Fall.

The logic of the decision being that Jr. has grown from a boy into a man. The “Jr.” part always felt a little off according to Sazerac’s global bourbon brands manager Joshua Steely. Can hardly blame him, Jr. doesn’t quite match the full bodied big boy barrel strength proof DNA of Stagg Jr. “Jr.” was directed presumably at its age being in the 8 – 9 year range vs the 15 – 19 year range for George T. Stagg (Antique Collection, tears for 2021). Stagg Jr. was first released in Fall 2013 and was BTD’s way to make the Stagg nectar go a little further by releasing a younger product vs GTS but still have the legendary barrel proof bottling.

Stagg Jr., you’ve been a real good boy, we’re going to miss you. Now go out into the world and make us proud!

Something to note, if you have any Stagg Jr., you may want to hold onto it:) Below are all Jr. releases so you can track which one(s) you have.

  • Batch 17: Fall, 2021 128.7 proof
  • Batch 16: Summer, 2021 – 130.9 proof
  • Batch 15: Winter, 2020 – 131.1 proof
  • Batch 14: Spring, 2020 – 130.2 proof
  • Batch 13: Fall, 2019 – 128.4 proof
  • Batch 12: Summer, 2019 – 132.3 proof
  • Batch 11: Winter, 2018 – 127.9 Proof
  • Batch 10: Spring, 2018 – 126.4 Proof
  • Batch 9: Fall, 2017 – 131.9 Proof
  • Batch 8: Spring, 2017 – 129.5 Proof
  • Batch 7: Fall, 2016 – 130.0 Proof
  • Batch 6: Spring, 2016 – 132.5 Proof
  • Batch 5: Fall, 2015 – 129.7 Proof
  • Batch 4: Spring, 2015 – 132.2 Proof
  • Batch 3: Fall, 2014 – 132.1 Proof
  • Batch 2: Spring, 2014 – 128.7 Proof
  • Batch 1: Fall, 2013 – 134.4 Proof

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C918, Knob Creek Single Barrel "The Green Monstah", and Stagg Jr Batch 10 (126.4) Reviews

The state of American whiskey in 2019 is a weird place. The demand for allocated bottles has been in a fever pitch and seems to have no end in sight. Even worse, the list of whiskeys that are now considered allocated has become a sad state of affairs. …

The state of American whiskey in 2019 is a weird place. The demand for allocated bottles has been in a fever pitch and seems to have no end in sight. Even worse, the list of whiskeys that are now considered allocated has become a sad state of affairs. A quick look the recent influx of posts on /r/whiskyporn that are treating bourbons like Weller Special Reserve and Blanton's as coveted major scores has anyone that's been around a while thinking we've hit rock bottom yet despite that sentiment the WTFs just keep coming.
But for all the silly shit that is happening in the whiskey scene, there are some bright spots, and one of those is that we are in a golden age of well aged, high proof, decently priced, not impossible to find bourbons and ryes. There are so many more good high proof options today than there were 6-7 years ago and even with the crazy demand, most of them are not that hard to come by. So with that in mind, I thought it would be fun to compare three popular options against each other, all of which I was able to find at retail just by walking into a shop, no special favors required.
bottle

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C918

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Aged 12 years; 65.7% ABV; $75
Nose: Woody and sweet, just like what you should expect from a twelve year old cask strength bourbon.
Taste: Lots of lush sweet caramel up front and some rye spice bite in the backend. The ever increasing peanut note I am getting in Heaven Hill these days is there in the form of peanut butter marshmallow smores. The finish lingers for quite a while with an oak laden sweet spice punch. There is plenty of wood depth there but there are also twangs of a younger, green wood taste that I sometimes get in this product's younger brother, Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond.
Thoughts: This is good but if I am going off memory it is far from the most complex ECBP I've ever had. The touch of green wood is the biggest detractor here for me, I don't recall ever getting that in the older ones. It's probably just me but I feel like these just aren't as good as the releases from 2-3 years ago. Still a very solid high proof bourbon and if found a retail is a buy on sight for me.
Rating: B/B+

Knob Creek Single Barrel "The Green Monstah" Selected by Barrels & Brews

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Aged 15 years 1 month (label is incorrect); 60% ABV; $50
Nose: A remarkable balance of a ton of wood and just as much sweetness. Very, very good.
Taste: Sweet nutty flavors like peanut brittle with lots and lots of oak. It's a bit dry but there is a lot of flavor to make up for that without being bitter. The finish rides out with dark cocoa sweet vibes and touches of rye spice but again it's super oaky and yet just as sweet. Not much to say other than it's a flavor bomb.
Thoughts: I've had mixed results with these older aged Knob Creek Single Barrels but this one is a home run for me. I did a bottle split of Booker's 30th with a friend and this is easily better for me and probably the best Knob Creek Single Barrel I've had yet. The Barrels & Brews guys have been doing a hell of a job with their selections and this one is no different. 
Rating: B+

Stagg Jr Batch #10

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; No Age Statement; 63.20% ABV; $50
Nose: A sweeter, fruitier nose than the other two which make sense given the likely age of 9ish years. Cherries, peaches, stone fruits, and woody caramel.
Taste: A balanced, classic taste of bourbon with an equal combo of fruit, sweet, and oak. Sugary salted fruit pie crust comes to mind for the sweet notes along with just enough wood depth to balance things out.
Thoughts: This is a completely different vibe than the ECBP and KCSiB which makes sense since it the youngest in the bunch. That's not necessarily a bad thing here though as it's able to showcase more dimensions that just being an oak bomb. This isn't as good as Batch 9 which I still think is the best release of Stagg Jr yet but this is a quality product that I think as time goes by is slowly but surely chipping away at ECBP as the most consistent best bang for your buck high proof bourbon. At retail, these are a buy on sight for me all day long.
Rating: B
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.