2012 GEORGE T. STAGG (Hazmat Release) - Review & Tasting

Hey, what's up you guys? So I am so excited for today's episode because we are reviewing

George T. Stagg Hazmat Edition. So this is actually George T. Stagg from the year 2012. I know, can you believe it? This is a

ridiculous 142.8% alcohol George T. Stagg. So talk about a beast. Stagg has a reputation as being

the strongest, boldest release in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection lineup. And apparently in 2012

they weren't kidding. The most shocking thing to me is the retail price on this was $69.99

So not that you could actually get it for that price. I mean, that was way before I was into

whiskey. Actually, that's before I was even legally able to drink, so there's that. But I do want to

say a huge, huge shout out to Peter White. I've mentioned him on the channel before. He actually

gave me a sample of this to review. I'd like to visit with a clear head and a clear mind and try

it again for you guys. So I know I didn't put very much in the glass. I'm trying to savor it a bit

but that color is really nice. It's really, really dark, really rich. You'd be able to see more if I

put a little more in the glass. But yeah, it's very, very dense and dark, which you'd expect

with the George T Stag that is 142 proof So on the nose it really really interesting First of all there a lot of ethanol I mean this is coming from a sample bottle so it not like it hasn opened up This is definitely opened up But the thing is that behind the ethanol there some really

really bright fruit notes, way more than I would expect. I mean, on the more recent George T. Stagg

and Stagg Jr. releases, I get a lot of dark cherry notes. This one is almost that, but it's almost a

little more apple peel, I would say. I mean, I don't know if that's like the perfect explanation

of it, but it's really tough to get into, so I'm going to have to taste it. So I want to do this

without any water, uncut, unfiltered, just pure George T. Stag. So cheers

There's the proof. But I will say, once you get past the initial shock of a high proof whiskey

this one lingers, and not in like a burning sensation kind of way. It lingers on the tip

of the tongue, on the sides of the tongue, on the back of the tongue, not really in the esophagus

I thought it'd be burning a lot more in this general area. I mean, there's definitely a

Kentucky hug there, but it's not like it burns going down. It's more like it burns like once

it hits your chest. Wow. I see why people seek out these hazmat releases, especially George T

Stagg. I know the one that I hear about the most is the Elijah Craig barrel proof from a few years

ago that was like 141 but this is 142 We almost we are in that like definitely hand sanitizer worthy territory I still getting that like apple peel notice It not like a candied apple or anything

It's not that kind of sweetness. It's more of like the skin of an apple. I know that's really

weird. I'm not even like qualified to make notes like that, but it does have some leathery, dark

dark, older tobacco notes. I would say it's not really like a caramel. Like normally I combine

like the tobacco and caramel is kind of like the same thing. I'm not getting that caramel sweetness

I'm just getting that really yeah I'm getting a lot of tobacco now on the finish there's there's

definitely a lot of like aged tobacco leaves really good I'm gonna pour a little bit more

and add some water I do have like some water droplets here so I put eight drops of water

um just because I would normally put 10 but I just had so little bit in the glass I didn't want to

over dilute it I definitely want that flavor to be there but I'm very curious to see how it is

after I poof it down a little bit wow I'm getting so much more on the nose it's the same it's not

It's not like a different note. It's just more intense. There's way more caramel, like a candy note, now that I've done that a bit

Still not that cherry that I get. I mean, there's like a hint of cherry in the background, but I'm curious how it affects the taste

That's weird because that's a lot more familiar. Wow. So I think what I'm learning today is the higher the proof, the more the notes change

It's not like it's just amplified. I still getting tobacco on the finish but the green apple leathery note that I got with it like just uncut was way more intense now those cherry notes are really popping out of the glass Still tastes delicious and I going to drink every last little bit of it

So, overall thoughts. I mean, I honestly don't even know why I would say if I recommend it or not

Obviously, if you see a bottle of 2012 George C. Stag at a decent price, I recommend it. For $70

MSRP, are you kidding me? Yes, buy. Buy. Buy every bottle if you ever saw it for that price back then

And of course, hindsight is 2020, as they say, which is currently 2020. So either way, if you get a chance to try this for a decent price, and I think anything

honestly, anything under $300 would be a decent price. You probably won't be able to find it for that

I'm just being honest. But you got to try it at least once in your life. Just live a little

Splurge a little. So that's my thoughts on that. Grab you a bottle if it's on the shelf, but I don't think it is

So all right. Thank you guys for watching. If you're new here, I do live streams every Thursday

I occasionally do a video like this, but I usually do live streams. So I would love if you could subscribe and hit the bell button down there

so you get a notification when I go live. Love to hang out with you and drink some bourbon with you

So until next time, I'm here to help you drink good whiskey. You already know what I'm going to say

George Seastag, good whiskey, no matter what year you get. It's just fantastic whiskey

So cheers. I'll see you guys later. Bye