Stagg Batch 25C Bourbon
The Stats
- Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
- Location: Frankfort, KY
- Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Batch: 25C
- Age: NAS
- Proof: 125.6 (62.8% ABV)
- Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1
- Release: 2025
- Price: $70
Stagg has built a reputation for being big, bold, barrel-proof bourbon. The best batches back up that proof with layers of dark fruit, oak, caramel, and enough complexity to show why people still chase these bottles. Stagg Batch 25C is a little different.
At 125.6 proof, this was the lowest-proof Stagg release to date, and you can tell. Not because it lacks flavor, but because it is surprisingly approachable. Vanilla, caramel, grape, red fruit, and oak give it plenty of classic Stagg character without the proof ever taking over.
The problem is that it never really gets beyond that. This is good Stagg. We’re just not sure it’s great Stagg.
The Whiskey Behind the Bottle
Stagg Batch 25C was the third Stagg release of 2025 and was bottled uncut and unfiltered at 125.6 proof.
Produced by Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, Stagg uses the distillery’s low-rye Mash Bill #1, although the exact recipe remains undisclosed. The bottle also has no age statement.
What makes 25C particularly interesting is the proof. Stagg has regularly pushed well into the 130s, but Batch 25C’s 125.6 proof made it the lowest-proof release in the series to that point.
That lower proof doesn't make it feel watered down. If anything, it makes this one of the more approachable Stagg batches we’ve tasted.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
Vanilla, caramel, red berries, and grape with oak underneath. There’s plenty of sweetness and fruit without much alcohol getting in the way.
Taste
Vanilla and grape lead into sweet oak, leather, caramel, and more fruit. Cinnamon and baking spice build through the palate, with a little toasted sweetness underneath.
Finish
Medium, with sweet oak, cinnamon, and baking spice. The finish is pleasant but fades sooner than we’d like from a Stagg release.
Artfully Bourbon Rating
7.5 / 10 - Good
Stagg Batch 25C is a really solid bourbon. It just happens to carry a name that sets the bar considerably higher than “really solid.”
We liked the balance of vanilla, grape, caramel, oak, and baking spice, and at 125.6 proof it drinks remarkably well. There’s plenty of flavor without the alcohol taking center stage.
What’s missing is another layer of complexity and a longer finish. The best Stagg batches keep developing in the glass and seem to get bigger as you drink them. 25C never quite gets there.
Good, not great, feels about right.
Buy or Skip:
Conditional Buy
If you can find Stagg Batch 25C around retail and enjoy the classic Stagg profile, it’s an easy bottle to consider. It’s flavorful, approachable for the proof, and still delivers plenty of what makes Stagg appealing.
But this isn’t a bottle we’d pay a significant premium for. Better Stagg batches exist, and once the price climbs well beyond retail, the whiskey in the bottle struggles to keep up with the hype.
Where Does It Rank?
Every whiskey we review is scored using the same 10-point scale, making it easy to compare bottles across styles, distilleries, and price points. Explore our complete whiskey rankings to see how every bottle stacks up.
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