George T. Stagg, Antique Collection 2025
Named for the whiskey pioneer who acquired OFC Distillery in 1878, this barrel-strength bourbon continues the line’s bold character. Drawn from barrels aged over 15 years and four months, the 2025 release is one of the strongest yet at 142.8 proof (71.4%). That's known as a hazmat whiskey, named as such because you can't legally take it on an airplane due to its high alcohol content.
Nose
Cherry, blackberry, leather, dust, candyfloss, earth
Palate
Cherry, dried tobacco, salt, cocoa, dark coffee
Finish
Oak tannins, cherry
Initially tight, then cherries, blackberry, leather and a dusty sweetness begin to open up. The palate is sharper with cherry, tobacco and a hint of salinity before cocoa and coffee appear. Water brings out vanilla and more tobacco. The finish is dry and tannic but still layered.
Concentrated cherry juice on the nose. Just nosing this whiskey is enough to know it's thick and juicy. Evidence of the whiskey's age sits in the background, with oak tannin and old leather coming to the fore. On the palate, you'll find more of that cherry sweetness, almost bubblegum-like in its intensity. The maturity eventually wins through with those oak tannins drying the palate. A touch of water seems to elevate the aged flavors and dial down the sweetness – perhaps preferred for some.
The nose is unmistakably Stagg, opening with a well-kept humidor, brandied cherries, raspberry jelly, old leather and a savoury veal-stock edge. After 15 years in oak, mashbill #1 has thickened and intensified as water evaporated faster than alcohol. The palate is spicy and forceful, showing Korean chilli, Szechuan peppercorns and grapefruit peel before shifting into strawberries in balsamic, raw cocoa, espresso, more cherries, warm oak, fresh scones, nougat and halva. It takes water well, and a few drops pull the spice into line and push the fruit forward, adding apple pie and a hint of barley miso. The finish is long, coating and loaded with tingly spice and oak tannin. A classic George T. Stagg vintage.
