George T Stagg 2002 Bot.2017

George T Stagg 2002

An ‘extremely hearty whiskey’, according to Buffalo Trace, who have aged it in new charred oak barrels for 15 years and three months before bottling at cask strength. It exhibits luscious notes of toffee, dark chocolate and vanilla, with dates, tobacco and dark berries rounding out the palate.

This release is one of the five bottles in the 2017 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. For a chance to purchase this bottle (priced at £150), please enter our ballot.

I believe this one was bottled two or three years ago. Colour: deep gold. Nose: almost like The Nant, and despite it’s peatiness, this one starts more on rum than on whisky notes, but it’s soon to become more ‘whisky-ish’. Once again, the oak’s loud (pencil shavings) and there are also many bitter notes. Vegetables, green tea, leather… It’s all extremely dry so far. With water: more peat but also more cheese (Swiss), balsamico, shoe polish, smoked tea, strong black tea… George T Stagg 2002 Bot.2017

Gets quite gamy after that. Horse sweat. If you like them wild… Mouth (neat): ultra-massive, extremely big, concentrated, on pine sap, heavy honey, menthol and straight wood. It has something of some Larks I must say. Quite spectacular. With water: more of the same, loud and clear. Wow, what a maelstrom, did this involve some kind of cooking? Decoctions? Really spectacular. Finish: very long, rich, herbal, with some menthol, aniseed, cumin, cloves… Wham! Comments: what a beast. Anything but boring and, once again, not too far from Lark’s best in my opinion, maybe the David Campese of whisky