Kentucky-based Buffalo Trace Distillery crafts an unfiltered barrel proof whiskey that has been aged for more than eight years. Critics find that it tastes similar to the distillery’s revered George T. Stagg Bourbon, with notes of salted caramel and vanilla beans in the nose and a hint of oak, cherries, and cinnamon on the palate. It finishes with a sense of pepper, sweet mint, and coffee, making it quite the robust bourbon.

Buffalo Trace Stagg Jr. Bourbon is uncut and aged in a facility on the banks of the Kentucky River, with the company producing only two batches every year (at 131.1 proof). The next batch of Buffalo Trace Stagg Jr. Bourbon is set to be released in the late spring of 2021, so fans of the Stagg Jr. series are eagerly snapping up the holiday release now while they still have a chance.

For more bourbon-related news, check out Woodford Reserve’s ‘Very Fine Rare Bourbon.’