For the first time since 2002, Buffalo Trace Distillery will not release a George T. Stagg with the fall launch of their Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, says The New York Times.
The paper of record confirmed rumors this morning that the barrels laid down in 2006 for this year’s Stagg Sr. didn’t mature as planned, falling short of the distillery’s high bar set for one of their rarest releases.
“It just didn’t look right,” Buffalo Trace Master Blender Drew Mayville told the Times. “It didn’t match the taste profile we expect from Stagg.”
Each year, the distillery releases their Antique Collection (BTAC), a collection of well-aged and perfectly proofed “big brothers” to some of their most famous names. The collection first launched in 2000 with Sazerac 18-Year, William Larue Weller 19-Year, and Eagle Rare 17-Year. In 2002, the distillery added George T. Stagg, and with the addition of Thomas H. Handy in 2006, the collection was complete. While the annual releases of these bottles retail at $99, their scarcity and popularity is such that they’re usually sold for much more.
We expect to hear more later today about the remaining four bottles (William Larue Weller, Eagle Rare 17 Year, Thomas H. Handy, and Sazerac 18 Year) in this year’s release.
