Buffalo Trace Distillery (Sazerac Company)
George T. Stagg (BTAC 2025)
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey · 15+ Years
The annual BTAC release that bourbon collectors would trade their firstborn for. At 142 proof in 2025, this is bourbon pushed to its absolute limits.
Rating Breakdown
Flavor Profile
Tasting Journey
Nose
Chocolate-covered cherries, stewed plums, old leather, vanilla bean, cigar tobacco, cinnamon, nutmeg, root beer
Palate
Luxardo cherry, rolling oak tannins, caramel, root beer candy, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, dried apricot, molasses, monumental mouthfeel
Finish
Length: ExtraordinaryGeological in length—barrel char, root beer candy, chewy oak, intense spice, cherry cola, pepper lingering for minutes
Specs
Price / Value
MSRP: $150
Your Rating
Click to rate
Our Score: 97/100
Pairings
Food
- Wagyu ribeye cap
- dark chocolate torte with cherry reduction
- aged Stilton
- bourbon barrel-aged stout
- espresso
Cocktails
- Neat only. Perhaps a single drop of water. Mixing this would be an act of vandalism.
Our Verdict
George T. Stagg is the pinnacle of American bourbon—a spirit that pushes every parameter to its limit while maintaining improbable harmony. The greatest recurring release in whiskey, period. Just please don't pay secondary prices.
There are bourbons, and then there is George T. Stagg. The crown jewel of the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, George T. Stagg is widely regarded as the greatest recurring bourbon release in American whiskey—a statement that the 2025 bottling, at a record-breaking 142 proof, did nothing to undermine.
Let's be forthright about the elephant in the barrel house: you will almost certainly never find this at retail. The BTAC lottery system makes Pappy look accessible, and secondary prices have reached stratospheric heights that no bourbon, however exceptional, can rationally justify. But as a tasting experience—as a demonstration of what barrel-aged corn whiskey is capable of—George T. Stagg exists on a plane that few spirits in the world can reach.
The 2025 release nose is an opera of dark richness: chocolate-covered cherries, stewed plums, old leather, vanilla bean, and cigar tobacco create an opening act of staggering complexity. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and root beer add spice and nostalgic sweetness. Despite the HAZMAT-level proof, the nose is surprisingly refined—evidence of the 15+ years of maturation that have tamed this beast into something almost elegant.
On the palate, George T. Stagg unleashes everything it has. Luxardo cherry and rolling waves of oak tannins crash across the tongue, followed by caramel, root beer candy, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, dried apricot, and molasses. The mouthfeel is monumental—thick, chewy, and coating in a way that only the oldest, most concentrated barrel-proof bourbons achieve. And yet, despite the 142-proof fury, there is balance here. Remarkable, improbable, magnificent balance.
The finish lasts for what feels like geological time. Barrel char, root beer candy, chewy oak, intense spice, cherry cola, and pepper linger for minutes, spreading warmth from chest to extremities in what can only be described as the ultimate Kentucky hug. This is not a finish that fades—it transforms, evolving continuously long after the last drop has left the glass.
George T. Stagg is a masterclass in power and restraint, a bourbon that pushes every parameter to its limit while maintaining the harmony that separates greatness from spectacle. Is any bottle worth $2,000? No. Is this the single finest expression of American bourbon produced on a regular basis? The evidence is overwhelming.
