George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 130 Proof

Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is Buffalo Trace’s annual Antique Collection barrel-proof bourbon: Mash Bill #1 from Frankfort, uncut and unfiltered after about fifteen years in new charred oak. Proof is how you tell the year — GTS has landed anywhere from the high 110s to the mid-140s — and this bottle is listed at 130 proof, in the neighborhood of the 2020 release. Tightly allocated each fall, it is the heavyweight of BTAC: same low-rye recipe as Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare, left in the barrel until the whiskey is dense enough to bottle without water. Built for a spirit-forward cocktail or a quiet neat pour.

Cinnamon, caramel, and cherry hit first, then creamy vanilla, dark chocolate, and lightly smoked oak. The sip is oily and concentrated: espresso, black coffee, clove, and herbs over brown sugar, with dark cherry riding a long finish. At 130 proof it has real heat, but the texture stays thick and the sweetness does not vanish under the oak.