George T. Stagg 02' & 03' questions

[The Whiskey Viking]

Now I know that George T. Stagg 04'

- was distilled in May 1988 and bottled September 2004
- and it was "discovered" in Warehouse Q on the second floor

But does anyone around here have the equivalent information’s for the two previous bottlings?

Thanks in advance

Thomas

[Chris]

I think that info was on the papers inside each case of stagg... I will check on that when i get home and post the results...

-Chris

[Mark]

I just read the back of the paperwork that came with the Stagg, Eagle Rare 17 and Sazerac 18yo from 2003 and only the ER17 and Saz had any distinct info on the back. The Stagg only said on the front that it was 15yo and had the proof. I don't have the 02' handy so maybe Chris can see if there was anything on those. On this year's Stagg they listed a bunch of info though such as how many seconds the barrel was charred for etc.

[The Whiskey Viking]

On this year's Stagg they listed a bunch of info though such as how many seconds the barrel was charred for etc.

WOW would you mind posting them.
Maybe we could get similar info from BT on the other years edition.

Thomas

[Mark]

On this year's Stagg they listed a bunch of info though such as how many seconds the barrel was charred for etc.

WOW would you mind posting them.
Maybe we could get similar info from BT on the other years edition.

Thomas

Sure thing Thomas:


Age Profile

• Year of Distillation: Spring 1998
• Release: Fall 2004
• Release Brand Name: George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Proof of Release: 129 proof

Recipe

• Large Grain: Kentucky Corn; Distillers Grade #1 & #2
• Small Grain: Minnesota Rye
• Finish Grain: North Dakota Malted Barley

Cooking / Fermentation

• Milling Screen: #10
• Cook Temperature: 240 Degrees Fahrenheit
• Water: Kentucky Limestone with Reverse Osmosis
• Fermentation: Carbon Steel / Black Iron fermenter
• Mash: Sour

Distillation & Aging

• Distillation: Double Distilled; beer still & doubler
• Proof off Still: 135 proof
• Barrel: New White Oak; #4 Char; Charred for 55 seconds
• Barrel Maker: Independent Stave; Lebanon KY
• Barrel Entry Proof: 125 proof
• Barrel Size: 53 Liquid gallons; 66.25 Original proof gallons
• Warehouse: Warehouse Q
• Evaporation loss: 53.18% of the original whiskey lost to evaporation

Bottling

• Barrel Selection: 40 hand picked barrels
• Filtration: None
• Product Age: 16 years old at bottling
• Tasting Comment: "Powerful and Intense"

[The Whiskey Viking]

If we where able to collect similar data from all three Stagg editions, we might be able to learn more about the effect of different char levels etc – if there is a difference that is.
Might be fun.
Thomas

[Mark]

No doubt Thomas. One thing I am pretty sure on though is that each year of Stagg is #4 char. In fact I 'think' that most of what we drink is aged in barrels with a #4 char. That is not to say all, but most.

[The Whiskey Viking]

Wow, just saw your posting Mark. I think that’s very forthcoming. I had never thought that they would be that open and frank.
If I remember Chuck’s book correctly the charring level is the highest standard charring available. I guess the other editions would have the same level of char, but it might be interesting to delve a little deeper into this.
Also what are your views on the Proof of Still?

Thomas

[The Whiskey Viking]

In fact I 'think' that most of what we drink is aged in barrels with a #4 char. That is not to say all, but most.

I thought the high char level was considered ideal for longer aged products ~ high-end stuff. So I don’t think the standard BT is char #4.
But most of what I really love probably is #4

Thomas

[Mark]

Now you got me thinking... I thought while on a tour, at BT actually 2 years ago, they said that most stuff was charred to #4 but I could be wrong. I'm sure Tim, Chuck, Linn, John or many others will fill us in!

[The Whiskey Viking]

Now you got me thinking...

I guess that's a first

[Mark]

Now you got me thinking...

I guess that's a first

Yeah, I try not to do it too often... When I do I get stressed out and then I need a drink!

[TNbourbon]

Here's a link to a Lew Bryson column from Malt Advocate:

http://www.whiskeypages.com/html/am_char.html

In it, he says everyone uses char 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 (I don't know where that #4-1/2 comes from -- Independent Stave says it offers just #1-4). The story quotes a lot of leading folks in the industry, and Lew is generally pretty reliable, though beer is more his thing than bourbon.

Wild Turkey's own website says it uses #4.

http://www.independentstavecompany.com

http://www.bluegrasscooperage.com

[bunghole]

I've read Lew's article before and have never heard a "4 & 1/2" char mentioned anywhere else. I do know that Bluegrass Cooperage has what they call an "alligator char" which has been described to me by Lincoln Henderson as something "between a #3 and a #4". I knew that Wild Turkey uses the heavy #4 char. I was under the impression that everyone else uses the #3 char. Jerry Dalton once told me that they (Jim Beam) use a #3 char and that the barrel heads have a #2 char. He explained to me that the heads were the weakest part of the barrel and that a #2 char is all they can stand without compromising their strength.

It seems to me that you'd want whatever process that would yield the best red layer, and that Bluegrass Cooperage has that down to a science.

ima

[The Whiskey Viking]

Looking thru the info above I came to think – would it be possible for BT, if they wanted, to issue George T. as a BIB?
It seams to me that the criteria are met (except the proof). Does BIB require filtration?

Thomas