George T. Stagg Biography
Back in 1865, George T. Stagg had made quite a reputation for himself as one of America’s finest whiskey salesman. He had the good fortune to work with none other than E. H. Taylor, the man renowned as one of Kentucky’s original bourbon aristocrats. On the banks of the Kentucky River, deep in the bluegrass region of the Commonwealth, Taylor had built the grandest distillery the nation had ever seen, utilizing state of the art technology that was both innovative and well ahead of its time. As an industry expert proclaimed in 1890, the distillery “is actually ne plus ultra of its class”, the best of the best. Stagg supplied both the financial acumen and the salesmanship to build the company into one of the world’s leading bourbon producers. That distillery continued in operation, through Prohibition, to this very day. Now known as the Buffalo Trace Distillery, we are honored to present this unique, aged bourbon in a style that would have brought a smile to the face of our famous predecessor. Older than most fine whiskies available today, this full-bodied rye recipe bourbon is offered in its original uncut, unfiltered state.
Aged through several distinct Kentucky seasons, this unique whiskey is no stranger to hot summers, cool wet springs, blustery falls, and cold winters. The rich, pure Kentucky limestone water and the finest grains available, serve to embody this Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with the pedigree of fine bourbons from the 1800s. Using the sour mash method, personally selecting the barrels in which the whiskey will mature, storing the barrels in the honey spots of our best aging warehouses, and hand selecting each barrel for bottling, we have followed every step laid out by George himself.
To allow the connoisseur to fully appreciate the authenticity of this bourbon, we have taken our dedication to excellence one step further. We are offering the bourbon at barrel strength, uncut and unfiltered. The bourbon was entered into a newly charred white oak barrels well over a decade ago and left to mature under the influence of Mother Nature, and our maturation manager, Ronnie Eddins. Through a combination of science, art, and the whims of our mercurial Kentucky climate, we have produced a bourbon with body and character unlike any you have tried before, unless you personally knew George T. Stagg!
Since the bourbon has been neither cut nor filtered, the color is extremely rich and the proof is considerably higher than most products found in the market. Since each barrel has lost over half of its volume to evaporation, it is unusual to find two barrels with the same proof. The proof shown on the front label has been written in by hand since we never know what it will be until we sample and dump the barrel. We are proud that each bottle of George T. Stagg Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey represents outstanding quality drawn on the inspiration of Mr. Stagg himself. Enjoy.