Can Old Fo Even Come Close? | BLIND COMPARISON George T Stagg vs Old Forester Barrel Strength REVIEW

🥃 CHARITY FUNDRAISER LIVESTREAM + RARE WHISKEY GIVEAWAY 🥃 Sunday, October 10th @ 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT
GLASS ONE: George T Stagg, 130.4 proof, $100 retail pricing ($700+ secondary)
GLASS TWO: Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Proof, 128.1 proof, $90 retail pricing ($150+ secondary)
0:00 -- Intro
1:29 -- First Impressions
4:48 -- Tasting Discussion
8:17 -- Reveal & Reactions
13:51 -- Real World Scores
19:55 -- Who Are These For?
23:33 -- Bloopers
We entered this pairing into our blind sample pool because they've both scored highly for Josh in prior head-to-head blind tastings, they're both barrel proof powerhouses from storied Kentucky distilleries, and they're relatively close in suggested retail pricing (despite a wide disparity in secondary pricing). Of note is that many people often talk about how "hot" Old Forester Barrel Strength is, while George T Stagg is often praised for its aggressive profile. This matchup was mostly for fun and to see how they compared to each other.
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🏆 OUR SCORING SYSTEM EXPLAINED 🏆
We give each product a REAL WORLD SCORE based on the taste, (nose, flavor, experience), price and availability (retail rating), and whether we'd buy it again or not (consumer rating).
All of this is informed entirely by our double-blind tasting.
Products are scored on a 10-point scale, but think of our 10-point scale as more of a bell curve.
REAL WORLD SCORES in the 4-6 point range are average, solid products. The further we get from that middle range, the more or less exceptional a product is to us.
DISCLAIMER: Our scoring is merely a reference point to compare pours over time. We believe whiskey is to be enjoyed and shared with those you care about--that's what our channel is all about. Whiskey, just like life, is best when you don't take it too seriously and simply enjoy the journey. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers!
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[@ljhookem14]

S&W is quickly becoming my favorite Bourbon channel and mostly because both of you are genuine and truly let the Bourbon, and not the price or name of the bottle, determine quality.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Ah that's super kind LJ! That's exactly what we want this channel to be so anytime anyone picks up on that it's a huge compliment. Cheers buddy!

[@jrgates3365]

I picked up an Old forester barrel proof today and was scrolling through review and blind videos when I found your channel. Can’t say enough good things about this video, had me laughing more than once. Informative and hilarious at the same time.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much Jr and congrats on scoring a great bottle!

[@mikemelichar9362]

Just saw and bought my first OF single barrel proof today. Have never found either of these in Wichita Kansas before. Very excited to see your video. Paid $84

[@ironmantran]

In early Stagg days, very few Distilleries have high age (above 14-15y+) and barrel proof; so Stagg stood out. By 2020, virtually ALL distilleries - and sourced - have similar releases and diversify the choices.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That’s a VERY good point Timothy!

[@mr.mueller7704]

Just picked up an OF bp barrel pick in Oregon. Can’t wait to crack it open after watching this

[@kamahhl]

Hey Josh very good point when you went into Old Fo and you said it felt a little more tame but also mentioned that you could be getting acclimated (to the proof) after glass one. I wish people took the actual comparison and back to back tasting into consideration more, and also mentioned that and how the esxperience changes as you work through the pour.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks Hector! It’s weirdly difficult to talk to a camera and articulate all the points you’d like to make off the cuff but every once in a while I do okay with it. 😂 Since we’re not tasting note pros anyway, and those can shift from day to day as is, we do try to speak to the overall experience as that seems much more consistent day in and day out. Cheers and thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@kamahhl]

@@stuffandwhiskey I like your no frills approach a lot, in my opinion it helps that you keep it simple and only do 2 pours at a time. I don't think doing 4+ different pours at a time is effective unless you are an actual pro. I've seen people do multiple pours and not even take notes, then look at Fred Minnicks channel and as a pro he will still take his time tasting (1-2 hrs sometimes) AND taking notes.

[@leeg4746]

Normal people are not getting GTS for less than 800 dollars. OF barrel strength is awesome!

[@francisortwein9846]

I just got a bottle of George T Stagg for $400 I am a pretty normal person just have a good relationship with my liquor store. Maybe I’m just exceptionally cool and likable. But I always bring my Guy samples when they sell me good bottles I don’t buy them to resell or use for a trade date so they appreciate that

[@thomaspetroni208]

Sounds like the Stagg had a note of "Toddler". I was eager to see your tasting. I purchased a bottle of Old Forester Barrel for $65 but the Stagg I found was selling for $799 - glad to hear the Old Forester was close in scoring cuz that is about as close to a Stagg I'm going to get at these prices. Thank you for your tasting!!!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

A very angry toddler. 😂 Cheers Thomas! At $65 you scored big!

[@dustinstober9647]

I love Old Forester as well!

[@suekichi2846]

I LOVE Old forester products and would be ecstatic to find a bottle of barrel strength

[@briancauble6205]

The Old Forester BP is fantastic. I found one this weekend and went back and bought several backups.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

As great as 1920 is, these are a considerable step up. Here’s to hoping you can find one soon!

[@mikev3319]

The bloopers are the best! lol

[@stuffandwhiskey]

They’re our favorite too, Mike. 😉 Cheers!

[@badgerjeff6081]

You need to work on becoming a descerning taster! Ha! A fellow whiskey enthusiast just sole me a OF Barrel Strength at cost even though he was offered more for it. He knew OF was one of my favorites. Just another example of the friendly whiskey family. Can't wait to try it. Great video!!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That’s high level bourbon karma right there. So happy to hear it! Enjoy that bottle!

[@mr.mueller7704]

WHSE J floor 7 at 65.85 is what I got today from cedar mill liquor in Beaverton Oregon

[@FNGWhiskey]

I just cracked and Old Forester bp is hit or miss I had one that was heavy leather and oak, but the newest one I opened it amazing and I agree one of my top 3 pours so far.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

A point could be made that the quality threshold for something like GTS is consistently higher than something like OFSBBS, but with the unobtainable nature of GTS on the whole, it certainly makes Old Forester pretty appealing even with single barrel variance. Cheers to you getting a good one Casey!

[@PatriciaSchmitt-Art]

Great video guys. It's good to know that the OF Single Barrel is an acceptable sub for George T Stagg if the latter is not available. Thanks - Leon

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We’d even say JDSBBP is a pretty good sub, especially if you get one of the single barrels with a darker barrel influence, and those are super available. Not as 1:1 as these two, but a comparable experience. Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@CT99999]

Dang, y'all are lucky! I've never seen Stagg out here in Boston, but I recently saw (and happily bought) Stagg Jr for $160 in San Antonio, TX. I'm new to your channel, so forgive my not knowing the woman's name, but I'm happy to hear her sentiments of "psssh, Stagg, we're not finding that for $100"

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We admittedly got VERY lucky to get that Stagg for $109 in a local drawing. Luck was on our side in 2020 for big bottles but not so much in 2021. Such is life these days for a bourbon fan unfortunately. Thankfully blind tastings curb most of our FOMO. Cheers and thanks for watching Chris! Enjoy that Stagg Jr!

[@gcbwoods]

I have to say, these reviews are so much fun to watch, and also very revealing how our minds work. Based on price and allocation, the enjoyment of these bourbons is impacted. Why is this predominantly with bourbon and rye versus another spirit?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It happens in the Scotch world too but there it seems to be based more on purchase price and age statement. Folks will go nuts for a $300 25 year bottle even though they may actually prefer a bottle at half the age and a quarter of the cost. The American whiskey boom has just gotten so out of control with hype and FOMO in comparison. We hope to combat that some with these videos. So glad you’re enjoying them!

[@gcbwoods]

excellent response and answer. I appreciate that. It is definitely out of control. I stopped the pursuit of allocated bourbons three years ago and have been enjoying what's on the shelf. Still having a rich experience.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@gcbwoods cheers to that!!

[@umami0247]

Both hard to find but OF is more attainable for most. And for that reason alone I’m going with the OF. Yes the GTS is better but not by a huge amount. If your a OF fan your good with it. And I am!!

[@johncwhite]

I agree that George T Stagg is a little over oaked for me. Haven't had the Old Forester BS, look forward to trying it. Thanks for the video.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Love the honest perspective John. It’s hard to be that objective with such a rare and generally heralded bottle. Cheers and as always we appreciate the heck out of you for watching and commenting!

[@superman6338]

I hope you find an OF BS... Never seen one... Just like Stagg LOL

[@patrickq7489]

You guys have some really good bottles. Do you have any idea when Old Forester SBBP drops next?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We got pretty lucky in 2020. 2021 hasn’t been so kind. 😂 They seem to be totally random in our market and we don’t usually hear about it until day of.

[@harmoncollege]

A local store in Tulsa dropped an OFBS a couple weeks back. It sold out in 3 hours.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Hearted your comment because we appreciate the heck out of you watching and commenting, Chris. Not because it went so fast. That's a bit of a bummer. We don't have a ton of schedule flexibility, like so many other folks, and aren't going to get any bottles that sell out in 3 hours unless they drop at the end of the workday (and for some reason many stores in our area love to do midday drops that make it impossible for working people to make it).

[@harmoncollege]

@@stuffandwhiskey I hear ya. I currently have some flexibility and was able to get one, and it is fabulous. Bananas foster and banana pudding. So good. Enjoyed your video.

[@ljhookem14]

Do y’all have Knob Creek 12 in your lineup to possibly have head to head on blind comparison?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We don’t but wish we did. We love Knob Creek but the 12 and 12 Cask Strength has eluded us.

[@ljhookem14]

@@stuffandwhiskey there is a liquor store near me (SE Houston) that has 6 bottles right now of the KC12.

[@jasonc.5718]

My store did an OFBP pick and I was happy to get one before they sold out. You guys heard about Stagg being dropped from BTAC this year?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We did. The likelihood that we’d get one is nearly 0% so no worries here. Plenty of good barrel proof bourbon out there. Congrats on scoring that OFSBBS! How is it!?

[@jasonc.5718]

@@stuffandwhiskey Haven't cracked it yet but I'm sure it'll be good. The manager who does all the picks has a great palette.

[@billb410]

Any chance you could compare these two to Jack Daniel's single barrel barrel proof select.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Josh here. We have done a GTS vs JDSBBP video but not a JDSBBP vs OFSBBS video. We definitely ought to enter that into our blind pool. From memory, Erin would likely rank them JDSBBP first easily, GTS second, and OFSBBS a close third. I'd likely put OFSBBS first, GTS second, and JDSBBP a close third (depending on the OF and JD single barrels). When it comes to value for the money and ease of availability, JDSBBP wins hands down in both our books. Cheers and thanks for watching Bill!

[@billb410]

@@stuffandwhiskey I can't find any of them. I did score a JD SB BP Select but once I found out how great it was they were gone. I figure I'd really like the OF as 1910 and 1920 are some of my favorites. Love your channel btw. No bs just honest opinions.

[@timothywoo2625]

Hey Josh and Erin, curious about the OF bottle. What warehouse, floor, and ABV is the bottle that you tasted? I’ve got one too but wanted to compare.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It's a Warehouse H Floor 6 bottle at 128.1 proof store pick through RED Spirits and Wine here in Bellevue, TN called "Rainbow Road." What's your bottle Timothy and how is it?

[@timothywoo2625]

@@stuffandwhiskey sorry for the delayed reply. My bro picked one up for me, K5 64.6 ABV. Have yet to taste, but will this holiday season when I see him. Will update ya when I do.

[@jmalen123]

Son of a Biscuit? Language young lady. Another great blind from the both of you, but son of a biscuit put it over the top for me.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Haha, thanks for watching!

[@877-MASH-NOW]

WHISKEY CHEERS 😎😎😎😎. Tasting with your eyes does not mean splashing your eye with the Whiskey. 😋😋😋😋

[@stuffandwhiskey]

😂😂 Cheers Jay!

[@tightcutz624]

So hard/extremely hard to find GTS but if you find a store pick of OFBS who have a great palate… A amazing OFBS pick can compete with a King of Kentucky 🤷‍♂️. Let me have that OFBS

[@TheWhiskyExplorer]

Dang. I didn’t pay up too much for my GTS (Canadian retail), but now I’m am thinking… could I have just got the OF for $90 and saved a tonne of coin?!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Consistency definitely goes to GTS but if you get a good OFSBBS barrel then they’re both excellent pours, just different in slight ways. Hard to go wrong with either. Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@topdog3781]

I’m going to have to find the bottle of the old Forrester

[@stuffandwhiskey]

They’re definitely available around town so long as you keep your eyes peeled (and maybe a little luck on your side).

[@jimbrady7030]

Where around Nashville can you get the Old Forester?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

As the drops are totally random, it's a "follow all the local stores on Instagram and head over when they post about it" situation. Every once in a while you'll catch one by walking in somewhere but usually they announce when they get them in.

[@EscobarStyle]

The Stagg is $100?!?!? Psshhhh, definitely not where I live. That bottle goes from $500-$800!!! I’d go with the OF which I did get last week. Glad it sounds good because I haven’t opened mine yet.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

The markup has gotten pretty wild on GTS since we filmed this. It's a great $100 bottle but some stores and secondary markets are up near $1000 or more now that Buffalo Trace announced no GTS in 2021.

[@thecougarexperience]

I just picked one up in Austin! ❤ Can’t wait to try it!

[@timfehn4637]

Honestly I'd rather have the Old Forester it's a third of what you'd pay for stag in some places and I've seen it on shelves far more frequently

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Old Forester is doing big things with their barrel proof lineup. Now if only they could sort out production and availability a little more.

[@zenbood]

Consider KillCo as a guest, or do a cameo on his stream. ❤

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Love KillCo and would love to do something with him for sure!

[@BourBen]

What year GTS is it?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

2020

[@BourBen]

Wow... I was thinking it would be 2019 having ofbs hang with it

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@BourBen check the comment @Aidan made and the discussion after. Stagg has yet to separate itself from the pack as anything special compared to nearly half a dozen other much more available barrel proof products from large distilleries in our double blind tasting format. It’s odd, but the blinds don’t lie.

[@redinthesky1]

GTS for $100 is a dream :P

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We definitely got lucky to get our bottle at retail in a local store raffle, but that's definitely the exception and not the rule. Things are getting wild out there in retail-land with these (overly) hyped bottles.

[@olemanbourbon5884]

Ok you two, I have a barrel proof OF that I have not cracked! Guess I should but the proof is not in my wheelhouse!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Some of them can be quite hot for sure. It's worth playing with a bit of water or ice if you find that it's harsh (and they do tend to open up a bit with air time as well).

[@superman6338]

Normal people just like you... Probably. 😂

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We gotta bring that line back. It cracks us up too!

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Staggs not special. Ive said it before. Its good whiskey, its not unbelievable.

[@shredward666]

Agreed, it's no Russell's 13 😆

[@LeatherDaddy97]

@@shredward666 russells 13 is average

[@shredward666]

@@LeatherDaddy97 To quote the great Jeffrey Lebowski- "Well that's just like, your opinion man..."

[@LeatherDaddy97]

@@shredward666 yes it is

[@stuffandwhiskey]

After having it in a handful of blind tastings, it’s good barrel proof bourbon from a major distiller. It’s yet to stand out as anything seriously special totally blind, and there’s lots more barrel proof bourbon out there that’s also great. Lots of folks doing OFSBBS for being hot but praise Stagg for its “kick” (and hated on the 2019 Stagg release at lower proof). Just goes to show the bias at play when it’s a bottle as hyped as GTS.