Sazerac Rye

Next up in my Buffalo Trace series are three samples of single barrel picks of Sazerac rye all bottled at 45% ABV. First up is a selection made by a Las Vegas group. The nose starts with a moderately sweet butterscotch with lightly charred pumpernickel bread and mild forest floor herbs then a mild black peppercorn spice with slight sourness from baked plums followed by a light vanilla orange custard, candied fennel seeds and anise with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a moderately sweet butterscotch with mild forest floor herbs before a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to a sour cherries, baked plums and lemongrass followed by a light vanilla orange custard, roasted fennel and anise with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with burnt pumpernickel bread, baked apples, dill, cloves and spearmint flavored candy mints. The nose started promising with a mix of sweet, sour and herbal that leaned more toward the sour side, but not unpleasantly; however, once I went for a taste those sour notes dominated along with a bitter spice that overpowered those sweet and light rye flavors before finishing on the ashy and bitter side with light citrus and sweet herbs slightly coming through. Score: 2.5 Next up is a selection made by a Warsaw group. The nose starts with a moderately sweet butterscotch with lightly charred pumpernickel bread and mild forest floor herbs then a mild black peppercorn spice with slight sourness from baked plums followed by a moderate vanilla orange custard, candied fennel seeds and anise with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a moderately sweet butterscotch with mild forest floor herbs before a mild bitter spice that slowly fades to a baked cherries, plums and candied lemon peel followed by a moderate vanilla orange custard, candied fennel seeds and black licorice with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sautéed apples, vanilla orange custard, dill, cloves and spearmint flavored candy mints. The nose was very similar to the Las Vegas selection, but those sour flavors were more restrained and the taste has a richer mouthfeel with a light bitter spice that isn’t overwhelming and allows for those creamy light sour fruits to come through with sweet rye spice that finishes on the sweeter side with cooked creamy citrus and candied mints. Score: 3.25 My final sample comes from a selection made by a Los Angeles group. The nose starts with a moderately sweet butterscotch with lightly charred pumpernickel bread and mild forest floor herbs then a mild black peppercorn spice with slight sourness from baked cherry pie followed by a moderate vanilla orange custard, candied fennel seeds and anise with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a moderately sweet butterscotch with mild forest floor herbs before a light black pepper spice along with freshly baked pumpernickel bread followed by baked cherry pie, sautéed apples and lemon hard candy followed by a moderate vanilla orange custard, candied fennel seeds and black licorice with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sautéed apples, vanilla orange custard, dill, cloves and spearmint flavored candy mints. The nose on this one shares the same DNA as the others but is richer with sweet baked fruits, mild rye and ever so slight sourness with almost no alcohol bite followed by the taste that follows the same notes as the nose with the lightest of black pepper spice with a wonderful balance and enjoyable mouthfeel that finishes with sweet creamy citrus and light mild herbs. Score: 3.5 Overall, I came into this expecting very similar experiences between the three samples, but found that the different casks produced variances in the level of the sourness or sweetness of the fruit along with different levels of bitter spices, mouthfeel and even the alcohol presence in the nose and taste. It’s definitely a case of YMMV that can happen with any single cask expression which could turn out favorably or poorly depending on what flavors you prefer with some leaning into the sour and spicy profile or into the sweeter creamy fruit with light spices. At the price of $50 or under, I’d say these could be worth a purchase and I’d be very happy to pick up the Los Angeles pick, but I’d suggest trying to get a sample before you commit to a full bottle as they can vary. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous samples of the Las Vegas and Los Angeles picks.

Vanilla, orange zest and baking spice on the nose. The palate reminds me of the mid-palate of OGD Bonded: it’s like a high rye bourbon, but without the initial kick of corn on the palate. Just smooth and a little bit of herbal bite to it. There’s a sweetness hiding (vanilla-ish), but mostly baking spice and herbal notes. There’s a sweet hint of mint on the finish, along with more citrus (not just orange, maybe some lemon or lime). Really satisfying change of pace for a high rye bourbon lover, and a fantastically smooth and refreshing summer dram.

Favorite go-to rye

In a world of intense, spicy, almost medicinal rye whiskey, Sazerac is your sweet, friendly, neighborhood rye. Not to mention, it's perfect in its namesake cocktail.

When it comes to my Old Fashioneds or Manhattans, I have become pretty static and entrenched to using Rittenhouse as the foundation rye. In all this time I have never deviated. So, I was in my local store and they had this on sale so I took the shallow financial plunge, curious to compare apples to apples (or rye to rye). Without any breathing, straight out, dill and pumpernickel greet the nose. Hints of char weave through the dill and pumpernickel. Grenadine, brown sugar and butterscotch keep the nose sweet. Clove and cinnamon spice keep the sweetness grounded. Over A medium dense body, subtly sweet and coarsely spicy. Cinnamon, anise, vanilla and light brown sugar. The earthy spices meld with the youthfulness nature (the slight alcohol tingle presents itself as earthy spices). As it fades from the palate, black licorice and wood char remain and quite chewable. Oak tannins keep the mouth slightly dry. Adding and ice cube or water brings pulls forward the sweetness and tamps slightly the spice. The abv keeps the dilution at bay keeping the flavors in tact. If you want a summer sipper, just adds ice. As a sipper, it holds it own. It won’t wow but it’s steady and easy. As a mixer for a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, it contains the spice and punch to spearhead through and provide the whiskey flavor these cocktails are based. Comparatively, Rittenhouse has that blind punch (strong but unnoticeable) and has a slight better balance between spice and sweetness. I would give the edge to Rittenhouse but would not think twice about using Sazerac as a substitute. [86/100][$28][Tasted: 6/17/22]

P good