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Sazerac Rye
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery. Frankfort, KY
Age: 6 YR
Proof: 90
Nose:  Right out of the bottle there is a ton of caramel that borders on toffee. There is a hint of something salty sitting alongside a touch of cinnamon, honey, a light fruitiness and some toasted grains. Not nearly as spicy as a lot of the other ryes out there.
Palate:  Pepper, a touch of cinnamon, and a very pronounced rye bread flavor come right up front. There is a very bourbon like flavor profile that runs through it with a hint of vanilla and a very sweet dulce de leche like caramel that gets rounded out with some paprika, licorice, and Bing cherries. While the rye flavor is pronounced the spice is muted and hangs out in the background making this a very accessible rye.
Color: Amber Caramel
Notes: Back in 1869 Thomas H Handy bought a bar called The Sazerac Coffee House where a cocktail know as the Sazerac was being made with cognac, Peychaud’s bitters, absinthe, some sugar and a twist of lemon. After purchasing the “coffee house” (bar) Mr.Handy began importing, acquiring, marketing, and selling different brands of liquor. Eventually the cocktail got switched to be using rye instead of cognac and the brand of rye whiskey used in it became known as Sazerac Rye and the rest is delicious delicious history.
The name Thomas H Handy might seem familiar to you if you’ve been paying any attention to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection / Pappy craziness that is going on lately and that’s because one of the ultra premium BTAC ryes bears Handy’s name. There’s also a Sazerac 18 in the BTAC line up which is just a triple aged version of what’s in this bottle.