Can RARE BREED Even Come Close to THE BEST BOURBON EVER? | Rare Breed vs George T Stagg BLIND REVIEW

GLASS ONE: Wild Turkey Rare Breed, 116.8 proof, $50 retail price
GLASS TWO: George T. Stagg, 130.4 proof, $100 retail price ($650+ secondary pricing)
0:00 -- Intro
1:04 -- First Impressions
6:39 -- Tasting Scores & Discussion
13:05 -- Reveal & Reactions
17:35 -- Consumer Discussion & Real World Scoring
22:44 -- What We've Learned?
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Rare Breed and George T. Stagg are both barrel proof bourbons from two of the biggest distilleries in American whiskey (Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace respectively).
We entered this pairing into our blind sample pool to see if Rare Breed could even come close to comparing to the heavyweight that is George T. Stagg when tasting totally double-blind.
George T. Stagg is released once annually as part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) and is realistically only attainable through store lotteries or raffles due to extreme allocation, often commanding $600+ on the secondary market. Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a widely distributed and readily available product for $50ish in most markets.
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Glencairn Whiskey Tasting Glasses (Affiliate Link): amzn.to/3wZqTJj
Contact: [e-mail]
Instagram: / stuffandwhiskey
Patreon: / stuffandwhiskey
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OUR OBJECTIVELY EXCELLENT SUBJECTIVE SCORING RUBRIC: We use common sense “thumbs up” scoring where one thumb equals one point, two thumbs up equals two points, and just okay is worth half a point in any given category.
Up to 10 overall points are available across 5 categories:
• NOSE: Aroma
• FLAVOR: Taste and overall flavor profile
• EXPERIENCE: Overall experience on the palate
• RETAIL SCORE: Price and availability
• CONSUMER SCORE: Would we buy a product again or not
Nose + Flavor + Experience comprise Tasting Score.
We then add Tasting + Retail + Consumer Scores together to determine our overall Real World Score.
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[@thebourbondoctors2636]

Rare Breed is hard to beat especially when you factor in the value.

[@markn3586]

It's really hard to not like Rare Breed. Approachable, smooth, affordable, and easy to find.

[@jeffdevries8538]

Rare Breed is a workhorse! Absolute over all best value in bourbon for taste & proof, not to mention price. It’s the GOAT!

[@jasonc.5718]

Rare Breed every day, Stagg on special occasions. Life is good!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Definitely! Those are our exact use cases. Cheers Jason and thanks for watching!

[@TheoneGodfather]

Rare Breed, sooo smooth on the tongue but reminds you of its heritage going down. One of my favorites.

[@89sooner]

Didn't mention this in my first comment on one of your blind videos....you guys have just a brilliant analytical scoring system! Well presented and straightforward. Also, I love that bottles like Rare Breed exist out there...easily obtainable, affordable, any yet excellent. One of my favorite throwdowns that I have seen a couple of times recently (first from Fred Minnick) is Rare Breed vs 1920...two excellent bottles available everywhere. Definitely takes some of the pressure off of the hunt.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much David! We worked hard on it and know exactly what we want it to convey-still ironing out how best to communicate that, but we’re really zeroing in on that part of the equation. So glad you’re enjoying it! And we agree-Rare Breed and OF1920 are FOMO killers along with Knob Creek 120 proof and Russell’s Reserve 110 proof (especially store picks). All of those will eventually square off in our blind head-to-heads and we can’t wait!

[@mistermom310]

I have not had the GTS, but I absolutely love WTRB❤🥃👍👍

[@joelhepler9440]

This is great news for those of us that have no chance of getting GTS but love Rare Breed. 👍

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Both great pours. It’s difficult to go wrong either way. With GTS being next to impossible to acquire we just hope Rare Breed stays relatively available for the foreseeable future.

[@BlackBourbonFamily]

Wow! Great review. The blind tasting removes all of the label bias. Nice job!!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Right!? Double blind is the best (except for looking smart 😂), but obviously we’re biased. Definitely have the most fun doing blinds like this. The reveal is always a surprise!

[@matthewhall8790]

Rare Breed is in my top 3 favorites. Haven't had the GTS, but based on your videos I think I can live with that.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

The value for the money is just so dang hard to beat on Rare Breed. Cheers Matthew!

[@JesterNoNamer]

You guys are great! Love your blind reviews. I just lucked out and got 4 bottles of Rare Breed at $40/ea, and that's in Canada! An absolute steal; I'm loving it

[@user-uq7cy8su3u]

in Canada, do you all have the unfiltered version of Rare Breed, 1 liter, for $40? If so, I wish we had those in the US

[@kevinjones4976]

Seems like a win, win tasting. I’m a Wild Turkey fan. Rare Breed is one of my favorite ❤️

[@Scott-co4dq]

You two are the best antidote to FOMO I've seen. I've viewed several recently where you blinded Stagg , and the more you described the taste and smell the more it felt like you were talking about some of the ECBP bottles on my shelf. Between this and the Scotches I've purchased there is fantastic flavor and experience easily found for less than $100 all day every day.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks for the kind words, Scott! They're definitely different in flavor profile, but not overwhelmingly so, and the overall experience is very similar to be honest (12-15 year aged barrel proof Kentucky bourbon is going to taste like 12-15 year aged Kentucky bourbon). Stagg is a bit more fruit-forward in flavor whereas ECBP has more of a chocolate candy bar sweetness, but they're definitely comparable.

[@JJ-nh8lv]

Well, I've never tasted a George T Stagg. But I do have Rare Breed. So, I can get Rare Breed for around $50. So since I can't even consider a GT Stagg at the stupid price point, I'm gonna pic Wild Turkey Rare Breed!

[@2TEN90]

Cheers guys! Saw you over on Whiskey Tornado live stream and wanted to say hello. Amazing channel and love these blind review comparisons for all the reasons you mentioned and this result was perfect! Look forward to watching more. Cheers!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much!

[@johncashion8428]

That was great guys!! I truly appreciate the honesty

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks John! We’re certainly not pro tasters so honest opinions with all biased removed is all we’ve got. Glad you enjoyed and thanks for watching!

[@ricklara658]

You guys nailed it! Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a killer. I have blind tasted this with friends on so many occasions and it always shines. Thanks for the great content.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks Rick! It does seem to be one of the more approachable higher proof options out there and a definite crowd favorite. Appreciate you watching and dropping us a comment!

[@ironmantran]

Great review: yr Consumer thing-ee is great ! (( great lighting & sound )).

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much Timothy!

[@Dafoodmaster]

this video has proven the concept of your channel to me. blind tasting cuts through so much of the bullcrap! subscribed

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much! We couldn’t agree more. Blinds or bust!

[@chrishughes9202]

Greetings from Nashville. Really enjoying y’all’s channel. Keep it up! BTW, I love Rare Breed as well. Hard to beat!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

A fellow Nashvillian! Cheers Chris!

[@crog0915]

Rare Breed is so freaking awesome it should be a unicorn bottle. Load up while you can.

[@jaradwhite9352]

Really have been enjoying your content and perspectives.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks Jarad! We’re having a blast making it and are always glad when people enjoy it. Cheers!

[@LAuren0723]

I have to keep watching your videos every time I go out bottle hunting to remind myself I have two bottles of rare breed at home.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Exactly! Rare Breed may not be the most flashy product on the market but it’s reliable and delicious. We’d have thought we were crazy for how this one shook out if not for Fred Minnick picking Rare Breed over GTS in blinds as well. Cheers Arik!

[@rickswhiskeyjourney]

Loving the content kids. The blind tastings are my favorite.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

They’re the absolute best! Cheers Rick!

[@michaelhoffer9172]

Watching some of your older videos and getting caught up. Rare Breed is kind of my barometer for price and quality, as it is a great value that I can still find under $40. Great review. Cheers!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It's just so hard to beat for the money!

[@ps138vs2cavi]

Dang under $40? Really? Not here. And we are on the cheaper end of all bourbons. In Milwaukee area it's $46 or more

[@mikedubs9940]

@@ps138vs2caviyeah same down in What I call Bourbon Land..(FLA) 50+

[@Iowaclass65]

Great comparison! During my whiskey journey I have spent thousands of dollars on cheap to very expensive bottles and I have come up with about a dozen go to choices, most of them ryes. Interestingly enough, all of these "go-to" choices are under $100, most under $75. That being said, I will never pass on a Michter's 10 year or barrel strength rye offering but I am completely fine with my $40 to $100 base stock choices. Your awesome comparison videos have demonstrated that there is absolutely no shame in this!! Many thanks and much happiness!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much for the kind words Iowaclass and thanks for watching as well! Love the personal anecdote. You definitely don't have to spend a ton to get something that's VERY good. Cheers!

[@williamedwards8658]

I love seeing the good but over-hyped ridiculously priced stuff get crushed by bottles anyone can get

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It definitely speaks volumes, doesn’t it!?Thanks for watching William!

[@hansonblack4034]

Love you guys. Very good. You seem real and not professional. And the light jazz in the background..sweet

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks Hanson! Appreciate you watching and getting us. Cheers!

[@raidernation6733]

Just like that. I’m here right after the live. Cheers.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much for tuning in man. Cheers!

[@scottykarate8596]

love this form of reviews/tastings.. in this day & age price for me has to be a factor

[@chasecarter1170]

The split second she said sample #10 and #11 , your face Josh 😂😂😂 I could see the gears turning immediately when you realized what was happening haha hilarious.man , this is truly a great blind comparison.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

This comparison still surprises us all these months later. We wouldn't have believed it had it not happened to us and there wasn't video evidence. Cheers and thanks so much for watching, Chase!

[@raidernation6733]

That was great. I’m glad I have a few bottles in the bar.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Same here!

[@dragland7268]

Wow! I was totally wrong. I’ll try not to spoil it for others reading this before finishing the video, but I’m drinking what was in glass 2 while watching. I’ve never noticed apple on the nose before, but I’m getting that now. I thought for sure I had it right. Please keep doing these. Y’all are great! Thank you.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much Dragland, and lucky you to be sipping on Glass 2! It’s certainly a great pour, and since we pre-film quite a few weeks in advance, we’ll drop a little tease and tell you it comes up again in the weeks to come. 😉 Thanks for watching!

[@djokicmetamora]

Would be good if you include batch info. Batch LL/KB 2022 was a Wow. Also kudos on the Lamy.

[@jP-nw7nm]

I was iffy about this video but now that I’m done with it I’m gonna finish watching all of them and subscribe!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Fair skepticism TBH, and the highest of praise. Thanks so much for watching. We’re just two regular folks having fun and bringing “regular folks” opinions to the KZbin party. Hope it’s helpful (or at least a little entertaining). Cheers JP!

[@chrisculpepper6438]

@stuffandwhiskey Greetings guys. Love the channel. Keep up the good work. I notice Erin often has a problem with getting ethanol on the nose during tastings. Try opening your mouth slightly and breath naturally through your nose and mouth at the same time. This has changed my ability to nose things dramatically... Cheers ya'll.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks so much for watching and for the thoughtful comment Chris. Cheers!

[@WhiskeyWimps]

Love me some blind tastings. Best way to go IMO. Rare Breed has made the best Old Fashioned I've had to date. Seen the same GTS sitting on a shelf all year for $500. I go in once a month and offer them $400, but there it still sits 😅 Keep up the great videos you two. -Brian

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks Brian! We’ll have to try Rare Breed in an Old Fashioned, or one of our personal favorites these days, a Boulevardier. Can definitely seeing the sweetness, balance, and proof going well!

[@jamesnorwood4084]

When you started out and I saw all those little bottles in serried ranks, I said to my self ... are they going to drink all that in this one episode? Better call the ambulance now!

[@robertstrickland2121]

Erin hit the point, JTS is a one shot taste occasionally, RB is a drinker

[@TheDwarfInvasion]

Might be interesting to do a 2nd taste on very high proof samples with a few drops of water to see how it improves. A lot of comments on GTS in this review are marking it down for your palate not really liking the proof: smelling mostly ethanol, taste being like an assault. It might have fared much better here in both spots after a couple drops of water. And this is still a valid way to enjoy something coming in at 130 proof+.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Definitely not wrong, Ashley. We tend to not like fussing with water, and have found very few pours to improve for our personal preferences with water added, but something tells us GTS would hold up. It’s also worth noting that when we’re totally double blind, we have no concept of proof in either glass, so all we have to go on is the overall experience. Sometimes highly lauded pours don’t come across quite as suited for our personal preferences in that case. Wish we still had that bottle of GTS to play around with more.

[@pireina1]

I felt the same when I first tried Wild Breed and that ladies and gents is strong cinnamon and licorice among others and It is very noticeable. Those taste notes are Very different from most and I think is what a lot of people love about this bottle. And yes, I also find myself looking silly smelling the glass after I am done drinking it. Same thing with Eagle Rare, which to me honestly smells better than the taste of it. Cheers.

[@brettheiner7125]

Love the way ya’ll talk these out - would love to know what you rate 5s and 6s…

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We've switched our rating system up in newer video releases to a more simplified "would we want to buy this or not" prior to finding out what we're sipping, but this was certainly a fun one!

[@jeffdavis3207]

I also get the rubber flavor in older bourbons occasionally! I’ve always wondered what that is.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Glad we're not the only ones. We're compiling a list of weird flavors we get from time to time. Cheers and thanks for watching Jeff!

[@80Demitri]

Rare Breed is such a great bourbon. It's just too bad it's not inline with my palette though......I much prefer the RRSB. Great work guys!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Luckily both are still decently available for most. Cheers to that, Demitri!

[@fturla___156]

Yes, next time I purchase a Wild Turkey whiskey it's probably going to be more than a couple of bottles of Rare Breed or Rare Breed Rye. At the big retail stores, the price of the bottle is just under 50 bucks, and at the liquor stores, the price jumps closer to around 60 dollars. As for any Stagg bottles, no one can find the 'Senior' at retail prices and the liquor stores have the Junior or regular Stagg at more than three times the MSRP.

[@GeauxRilla]

No one lets them go for retail

[@biguy525]

Very interesting video. I can understand why you came up with the scores you did, but in reality wouldn't it be better to separate the unicorns out of the available whiskeys? And by the way I just ran across your channel and I did subscribe.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Fair points for sure. This was added to the blind pool as a bit of a goof. Nobody was more surprised with how it went than us. Interesting matchups are added to the blind pool and some are definitely to see how close standard shelf products can get to rare bottles we have the luck to score, not necessarily because they’re comparable, but because there’s no way we could objectively evaluate them if it weren’t totally blind. We still buy crazy bottles when we get a chance but blind tastings like this one have curbed any FOMO we might’ve had.

[@marvin15ize]

Great review guys!! In Oz i bought a bottle of Rare Breed for $85 ($65 USD) but George T Stagg is almost impossible to buy but if you can get it the price is $700 ($550 USD). Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is another great bourbon from Wild Turkey, great aroma & taste. What are your thoughts!! Cheers from Oz.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Love the Russell’s Single Barrels. Just threw a great Warehouse S Floor 5 pick into our blind pool against Rare Breed. Whenever that pairing pops up at random it’ll be interesting!

[@billj5645]

I agree- Rare Breed is a "rare" "breed" in that price range. Here it is $40-43. I don't know why I'm so late here, I saved this to my watch list and I'm just now watching it. And I'll admit I wasn't paying that much attention but I finally noticed the Moon Watch.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That's a great way to look at it, Bill. Rare indeed. Cheers!

[@fullimetal7581]

Id be interested what you thought about the two liquids with a bit of ice, or at least some water. Higher proofs grab you (called the Kentucky hug) and make the liquid overwhelming.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Fair points. We tend to stick to neat as a matter of personal preference (rarely have found water to markedly improve a pour, and ice alters it completely going warm to cold) but know lots of folks like a little water or ice and that’s awesome as well. For context, Erin can handle high proof but does prefer easier sipping in the 80-100 proof range with a sweet spot around 90, whereas Josh tends to really enjoy a lot of pours in the 110-140 proof range with a sweet spot around 120. Not hard and fast rules there, but it’s a long term trend we’ve noticed.

[@johncashion8428]

Yep No thanks on the ice or water

[@fullimetal7581]

@@stuffandwhiskey Awesome. Drink it how you enjoy it! :D It is worth highlighting that those higher proof bourbons are actually bottled with the intention of people adding water to them. Barrel proof and the other higher-proof bourbons carry higher costs (in some cases) because they have the higher value of proof. They expect the consumer to water them down a bit (generating more liquid to consume). Heres an article describing it. www.leoweekly.com/2014/09/bourbon-proof-just-add-water/ You're absolutely correct that adding water/ice to the bourbon will change the 'mouth feel' however some additional characteristics of the bourbon will come out with the water. Back to my original comment, I enjoy 110+ proofs with a touch of water and find them much better to drink.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@fullimetal7581 for sure. Worth noting that high proof Beam products seem to be the exception for us. A little water in a Booker’s or Knob Creek 120 proofer goes a long way. We actually have a couple of “with water/without” water head-to-heads in our blind sample pool. Will be so interesting to run across a Knob Creek 120 proof pick neat and with water totally blind to see if we even detect that they’re the same product (whenever they get randomly drawn).

[@davids2206]

Your watch game is strong btw

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks David! Been a watch nerd since the 90s. It’s a fun hobby!

[@jaymyms]

Nice Speedy

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Good eye! Cheers!

[@TheRealBiggDeal]

What year release is your GTS?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

2020

[@raymonddonahue7282]

Rare Breed is so good

[@curanderoverde]

Rare Breed is where it's at

[@robd8167]

🦃

[@ADHDWhiskey]

First!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Matt, you’re always first in our hearts!

[@ADHDWhiskey]

@@stuffandwhiskey welp, I'll be blushing for the next 6-8 weeks

[@johncashion8428]

Lmao

[@DrumsAndDrams]

@@ADHDWhiskey for blushing that lasts longer than 4 hours, please contact a doctor

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@DrumsAndDrams bravo, sir. Bravo. 👏😂

[@youssefh77]

Are you guys getting paid by wild turkey, Stagg Sr it is the best Bourbon period in my opinion wild turkey which is amazing score double it is a crazy talk and i know for the fact if you are walking to store and you found it you will buy another one

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We're not but if Eddie Russell comes calling we're all ears. 😂 While your comment definitely expresses the common sentiment, to date, the only other person we know that's picked Rare Breed over George T Stagg in a blind is @Fred Minnick. We'd think we were crazy for the way this video turned out if it weren't for the top bourbon critic also feeling the same way. Like we said in the video before even knowing we were tasting GTS or Rare Breed, we liked both, but if we were going to have another pour to continue enjoying bourbon for the night, it would've been the glass that ended up being Rare Breed (at least on that night). The beautiful thing about double blinds is that they don't lie. We're just as shocked at how this one played out as anyone. Cheers and thanks for watching Youssef!

[@youssefh77]

@@stuffandwhiskey cheers I love your guys videos and I love whiskey i was not upset of GTS come next it just the scoring system it did not make sense for me that rare bread will DOUBLE in score I watch a lot of channel and blind tasting and just score really !!!!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@youssefh77 fair points, although to us, price and availability matter big time. Those are real world metrics which is why we call it our real world score. In later videos we do a better job of explaining that our scoring system is different than almost every whiskey scoring system we’ve even seen because ours is more like a bell curve. Hope that helps put some perspective around the scores beyond the raw numbers.

[@mathewketner1029]

Homers!! Lol JK!

[@billslone242]

Shhhhhhh. Guys rare breed is garbage. Don't listen to these folks. Go buy GTS dont waste your money on rare breed. Lol

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We’re practicing our caveat video now. How’s this Bill? “Hi, we’re Stuff & Whiskey and we co-sign Bill Slone’s comment. Bill is absolutely right, and everything you just saw in this blind tasting is a sham. Do not buy Rare Breed.”

[@jeromepeters6935]

I guess that is one way to "try" to keep Rare Breed off of the allocated list🤣🤣

[@dehnpeterson5650]

You nailed it! Rare Breed is the absolute BEST $50+ bourbon I have ever purchased w/ my limited bourbon budget! With that said, for me at that price it is the ONLY a special occasion pour to share w/ good friends and is NOT a daily drinker. Wild Turkey 101 is the BEST reasonably price daily drinker with Russel's Reserve 10 year a great next step up. In my opinion there is NO OTHER distillery producing this level of "available" high quality products at affordable prices that's not focused on the maximum revenue generation. Most others (Buffallooo Trace) are screwing consumers and should be avoided for better priced wonderful products from Wild Turkey!!!!!!. FYI, My stash will always include Rare Breed, Russel's Reserve 10 yr and daily drinker 101! I may never consume my very limited stash of "now unobtanium" decades old previous favorite of Wellers Antique 107 as they have "TOTALLY SHIT ON & STOMPEP W/ A TWIST THEIR ONCE COMMITED CUSTOMERS !!!" What a horrible marketing plan that I hope will not end well for them!!!!!!!!!!!! SCREW THEM FOR YOUR GREED unless they repent !!!!!!!!!!!!! I will continue to support Wild Turkey for most of my purchases and you should too!