Sazerac Buying Brown-Forman? + Stagg Jr vs Old Forester Barrel Strength Blind Bourbon Review
Stagg Bourbon and Old Forester Bourbon
There are bourbon rumors…
And then there are bourbon rumors that could change the entire industry.
Right now, one of the biggest conversations in whiskey is this:
Could Sazerac acquire or merge with Brown-Forman?
If you follow bourbon even casually, you already know how massive that would be.
📰 The Bourbon Industry Scenario
On one side, you have Sazerac — the company behind:
Buffalo Trace
Pappy Van Winkle
Stagg (Stagg Jr)
Eagle Rare
Weller
On the other side, Brown-Forman — home to:
Jack Daniel’s
Old Forester
Woodford Reserve
If those portfolios ever landed under one roof, it would represent one of the most powerful consolidations in modern bourbon and American whiskey history.
We’re talking about a scenario that could impact:
Bourbon pricing across all tiers
Allocated bourbon availability
Distribution power in the whiskey market
The future of legacy bourbon brands vs newer distilleries
But like most things in bourbon…
There’s a fine line between real industry movement and internet hype.
🤔 Is This Actually Real?
That’s the question.
The bourbon world has a habit of turning speculation into certainty — especially when it involves Buffalo Trace products or limited release bourbon.
Could a Sazerac and Brown-Forman deal happen? Maybe.
Would it completely reshape the bourbon landscape? Absolutely.
Is it happening tomorrow?
Probably not.
🥃 The Only Thing That Actually Matters
We can talk bourbon business all day…
But at the end of the day, bourbon isn’t about corporate mergers.
It’s about what’s in the glass.
So we did what we always do on Tortured Bourbon:
We poured it blind.
🥃 Blind Bourbon Tasting: Barrel Proof Showdown
In this episode, we put two absolute heavy hitters against each other in a blind bourbon tasting:
🥃 Stagg Jr (Buffalo Trace / Sazerac)
Barrel proof / cask strength bourbon
Highly allocated bourbon
Known for bold flavor and high proof heat
One of the most chased bottles in bourbon
🥃 Old Forester Barrel Strength (Brown-Forman)
Barrel proof bourbon with no water added
Consistent, bold, and widely respected
Less hype-driven, more availability (relatively speaking)
A favorite among serious bourbon drinkers
No labels. No bias. No price influence.
Just a true bourbon comparison based on taste, proof, balance, and finish.
🔥 The Result (No Spoilers)
We’re not ruining it here.
Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned doing blind tastings…
What you think you know about bourbon is usually wrong.
🥃 Final Thoughts
The bourbon world is full of:
Hype
Allocation chasing
Secondary pricing
And endless speculation
But none of that changes one simple truth:
The best bourbon is the one you actually enjoy drinking.
Not the one the internet told you to buy.
Not the one sitting behind the counter.
Not the one you can’t find.
Just the one in your glass.
🥃 About Tortured Bourbon
Tortured Bourbon is where we:
Do blind bourbon tastings
Give honest bourbon reviews
Compare allocated vs available bourbon
And call out bourbon hype vs reality
No nonsense. No pretending. Just bourbon.
