Distillery
George T Stagg
A Civil War captain turned whisky salesman, George T Stagg took over the distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, from Edmund H. Taylor Jr. in 1878. The operation was renamed after him before eventually becoming Buffalo Trace. The bourbon that carries his name is bottled uncut and unfiltered, straight from barrel to bottle. No water is added, so it comes out at full barrel strength, sometimes over 130 proof. Aging runs 15 years or longer in charred oak, and the proof shifts with every vintage. Because each year's barrels differ, collectors treat every annual release like a vintage wine. One year might land near 120 proof, another past 140, with flavors of chocolate, dried cherry and clove shifting each time. George T Stagg has become one of the most chased bottles in American whisky as a result.
