Background

It’s been over the year since I’ve checked in on the Stagg line, and that store pick did not really land for me. Most of my Stagg (formerly Jr) experiences prior to that pick have been absolutely knock out offerings, I enjoyed Batches 14 through 17 with startling consistency. But these being not exactly the easiest bottles to obtain, my run-ins with Stagg (Jr) and reviews have come in fits and starts. I’ve been itching to compare another store pick to one of the main batches.

So here we have two offerings, one Batch 22A and the other a 2022 store pick from Liquor Barn. By the way, apparently Stagg batches kind of jumped the shark. The internet tells me Batch 22B was released before batch 22A, and then we dropped a numbered order and just went by year. I can't wait for some bourbon historian in 2053, assuming we’re all not roving a climate change induced wasteland fighting for gasoline, to try and figure out what happened to batches 20 and 21 only to find out they never existed. Anyways, two Stagg offerings, both released in the same year. Both shall enter, one will emerge victorious…

Stagg Batch 22A (NAS, 132.2 Proof)

Nose: Black cherry, dark toasty wood, hints of red licorice. Smells old and inviting and god I love this profile.

Palate: Cranberry Ocean Spray, luscious and rich, anchored by molasses and more dark wood. Anise and some crushed red pepper.

Finish: Wonderfully long. Dark chocolate, more natural cranberries than the palate, which is closer to cranberry juice cocktail. Nicely balanced by some black pepper and oak.

Excellent to Incredible (8.5/10)

Overall: It checks such a wonderfully diverse set of flavor boxes. Red fruit? Check. Oak? Check. Dark sugars? Check. Spices? Check. This is essentially a fastball down the middle in terms of what I think of as an ideal Stagg profile. Do I prefer a smidge more cherry and here I picked up more cranberry? Sure, but that’s a minor quibble and kind of a personal problem in what is all in all an excellent sip.

Stagg Liquor Barn 2022 Pick (NAS, 139.4 Proof)

Nose: Sticky toffee pudding, cinnamon toast crunch, sweeter woods. Occasionally an overripe cherry note drifts in.

Palate: Dark chocolate candies, some nougat and cinnamon sugar and rich oak. It's a little muddled to be honest. It’s definitely centered around a dark sugar profile, but it’s a bit closed off and hard to pick out more individual notes.

Finish: A full handful of cinnamon red hot candies… Needless to say, it’s a hot finish. Some of that dark chocolate and nougat candies. But this does give me a bit of that sensation that I’ll breathe fire as I exhale.

Great to Excellent (7.5/10)

Overall: As noted from the palate, it trends much more towards a dark sugar profile for me than the 22A. It is rich and viscous on the palate, it’s by no means an unpleasant sipper. My issue is primarily that the finish just really tips the experience over. This is not a bad pick by any means, but I’m now two data points in where I feel like the standard batches are at least on par if not superior to the picks I’ve had. Guess I’ll have to keep seeking some picks out, you know, for science.