Stagg is Buffalo Trace's barrel-proof bourbon, distilled in Frankfort, Kentucky on the low-rye Mash Bill #1 — the recipe shared with George T. Stagg, grain percentages unpublished. It is drawn straight from the barrel and bottled unfiltered, which is why 23A lands at 130.2 proof and keeps the oils and body a chill filter strips. No age is stated; reviewers estimate roughly eight to nine years, and several singled this batch out for drinking unusually softly at its strength.

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What proof is Stagg Batch 23A?

Batch 23A comes in at 130.2 proof — 65.1% ABV — barrel proof and unfiltered, as the 23A label shows, putting it among the higher strengths of the recent run. "Barrel proof" means the bourbon is bottled at the strength it reached in the barrel, with no water added. The figure happens to match the older Batch 14, which the batch code and laser code distinguish.

Why do reviewers describe Stagg Batch 23A as fruit-forward?

Several trade reviews of Batch 23A highlighted a deeply fruited character — grape soda, black cherry, stewed cherries, and green apple — that some called a return to a profile recent batches had lost. Reviewers also noted that, despite its 130.2 proof, it drinks below its strength: balanced and fruit-led rather than hot. Like all Stagg, it is uncut, unfiltered, and non-age-stated.