At the end of 2022, Buffalo Trace made massive changes to its distribution scheme, mostly favoring smaller distributors rather than Republic or Glazer. The supply chain seems to be normalizing and much improved, as I was able to snag a bottle of Stagg (formerly Stagg Jr.) and a Bottle of Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel, which is now finally available in the United States. Blanton’s Gold, which also used to be export only, was made available in 2021. Finally, Blanton’s SFTB is now available as well. I had a sip of this a few years back from a bottle someone got in duty free while traveling internationally. I paid $127.99 for the Blanton’s STFB and $59 for the Stagg, which are actual retail prices.

Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel, Dump Date 8-24-22, weighs in at a hefty 124.8 proof, and is non-chill filtered. Which means that when they dumped this barrel it went through a screen to get the wood chunks out and then straight to a bottle. Nice thick films and legs on the swirl. The color is just a medium amber though; this is probably only about seven or eight years old. On the nose is a lot of caramel, along with fruit and herbal notes layered over traditional bourbon nose. On the palate, the mouthfeel of this bourbon is really luxurious; thick and rich without being too syrupy. Notes of green apple (which is a note I often find on Blanton’s due to the fairly high rye content of the mashbill) along with some caramel and a hint of vanilla and baking spices are extremely balanced and very complex. This is extremely smooth for the high proof and is definitely a flavor bomb of a bourbon. On the finish, the baking spices come to the fore reminding me of a hot baked apple pie with lots of cinnamon and a flaky crust, which blends into wonderful oak tannin as the finish lingers and lingers. This bourbon has one of the longest finishes I have ever experienced. Most bourbon drinkers (if they are being honest) will tell you that Blanton’s is over-hyped, but I can say that the Straight From The Barrel is not over-hyped and definitely worth the retail price. I can also say that, given the proof and that they pulled this barrel from one of the hottest parts of the warehouse, they pulled this barrel at its prime before the proof got out of hand. Really glad to add this to my bar.

Stagg Batch 22A is a bruising 132.2 proof, and is likely in the 8 to 10 year old range as opposed to George T. Stagg, which is generally in the 14 to 16 year old range. Given the proof, they had to pull this one before the water evaporation as opposed to alcohol went awry. While younger than George T. Stagg, Stagg (and its predecessor Stagg Jr.) has often won awards over its older brother in blind tastings. The quality, taste, and proof of both Stagg bourbons varies from batch to batch. That said, I have never had a bad bottling of either. On the swirl is big thick legs and film. The color is definitely darker than the Blanton’s STFB, reflecting its longer age. On the nose is traditional bourbon but with heavy notes of Caribbean vanilla, leather (to which my nose has gotten more attuned after purchasing a Horween leather watch band; love that smell), and oak. Really nice, and definitely the kind of bourbon nose that I tend to favor. On the palate is rich vanilla, dark cherry notes, lovely oak tannin, leather, and clove. Amazing. The mouthfeel is very rich and luscious, and despite the high proof lends itself to multiple Kentucky chews swishing the whiskey over your palate to taste these wonderful flavors over and over before swallowing. On the finish the cloves and baking spice dominate with the oak and leather notes in the background but they are there and won’t let you forget them. Finish is really long; not as long at the Blanton’s STFB, but definitely impressive. I do prefer this particular style of Buffalo Trace bourbons to Blanton’s and Weller, with the exception of William LaRue Weller.

Both of these bourbons are just stunning, and I cannot help but appreciate that it looks like the new distribution scheme for Buffalo Trace is finally starting to bring more availability of their amazing whiskies back to retailers with distributors who aren’t illegally tying them to purchases of non-Buffalo Trace products. Yes,, there I said it. The dearth of Buffalo Trace products has not all been demand outstripping supply, but various schemes by distributors. Sazerac and Buffalo Trace decided to buck that system, and I raise glasses of these two amazing bourbons to that.