Sazerac Rye 6 Year old
Lovely rye all-rounder
3 283
Review by @Pierre_W
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall83
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From a sample. - This is the 6-year old version of Sazerac Rye, produced at Buffalo Trace distillery. From what information I could gather, the mash bill is 51% rye, 39% corn and 10% malted barley.
The nose is quite mellow to start with, then I got notes of caramel, fudge, butter cookies, and a touch of orange peel. Later on there is a good dose of mint and liquorice, followed by bubblegum.
The palate is a bit thin and spicy. The liquorice and mint flavours are back but much subdued now. Then flavours of oranges appear, together with cinnamon and vanilla.
The finish is of medium length and warming. Some nice wood spice notes, followed by oranges, cinnamon, and vanilla.
I find this to be a lovely rye all-rounder, with no rough edges. I suppose that for a taste of the "real" Sazerac Rye I would have to try some Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye or some Sazerac 18yo Rye - both now virtually unaffordable in Continental Europe.
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@Pierre_W, thanks for your review. Our currently open bottle of Sazerac Rye has been open about a year and tastes very close to your observations. The elements of mint and licorice were almost invisible at first and seem to be air-accentuated. I surmise that they had time to develop prior to your sample being delivered to you.
As to whether this is 'real' Sazerac Rye, well, it is the only somewhat frequently obtainable product which bears the name of its parent company, the privately owned Sazerac Company, in New Orleans. Sazerac Company owns the Buffalo Trace Distillery at which this rye is produced, and also the Barton 1792 Distillery and the A. Smith Bowman Distillery. Sazerac owns the production of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection whiskeys and currently sources the Van Winkle bourbons. That this is the only mass market product bearing their name is significant.
As for whether you will get to sample Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye and/or Sazerac 18 yo Rye, I do hope so. If I ever see you in person you will get some Thomas H Handy Rye, and maybe Sazerac 18 yo too, if I have a bottle open. For you, I might even open up a new bottle.