RYE SHOWDOWN #2 Sazerac Rye Straight Rye Whiskey Rabbit Hold Starlino Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Vermouth Casks Continuing my recent foray back into ryes (see “High Test Rye Showdown,” 8/17/22): with four left in my collection, I decided to break them up in batches of two. These two comprise, in my estimation and memory, the better half. Sazerac Rye Sazerac Rye is a Buffalo Trace (Sazerac) product, and as such needs little introduction. Apparently it once carried a 6-year age statement, and is often referred to as “Baby Saz,” ostensibly the younger brother of the BTAC Sazerac Rye 18, and/or the BTAC Thomas H. Handy. The mashbill isn’t definitively known but is believed to be just 51% rye. I’ve had bottles on hand for years, and have regularly had it neat and in a Sazerac cocktail. Bottled at 90 proof. Deep, clear, honeyed amber color. On the nose, rye is noticeable, but is suppressed with bourbony notes due to the other 49% of the mashbill. There’s also caramel, dark chocolate, clove, anise, vanilla, and a cool lingering spearmint in the background. Fantastic sipper but lacking some rye typicity (due to its bare-minimum rye percentage). Smooth: downplayed ethanol, with subdued rye spiciness on the finish along with some vanilla. Baby Saz isn’t showy. Its biggest attributes are its lack of rye typicity, its smoothness, and its often-less-than-$30 price tag. While I at least try everything neat, with the smoothness and gentle minty coolness, I could see this over a little ice on a hot summer day, or in an interesting nontraditional Mint Julep, and certainly in a Sazerac cocktail. This is one to always have on hand. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Rabbit Hold Starlino I received this as a gift at a Rabbit Hole tasting I attended earlier in the year with Rabbit Hole’s founder, Kaveh Zamanian. Starlino is part of RH’s cask strength distillery series, and is the first spirit distilled entirely at the RH distillery. It is finished in vermouth casks, and as such perhaps isn’t the best side-by-side pairer with the Baby Saz. Starlino was originally available only at the distillery, and does not appear on the website. Only 2112 375ml bottles were produced; mine is Batch 0352, bottle 0446. Bottled at 105.8 proof. Color is virtually identical to the Baby Saz, despite the vermouth cask finishing. Nose shows some immediate ethanol in comparison (not detrimentally so), as well as cedar, pine, brown sugar, clove, and a coolness not unlike one would imagine finely ground Life Savers wintergreen candies. There is caramel here too, and a soft roasted marshmallow. The rye aspect on the nose seems a bit subdued here as well: not by the low rye percentage, but perhaps the vermouth finishing. The palate is refreshing, almost fruity, with an apple cider element, some heat and rye spice, and a lingering vanilla finish. Very nice. Would love to have more, but it is apparently no longer available. I’m quite happy to have my single bottle. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. This rye pairing is less of a showdown than an excuse to drink two simultaneously. Both get high marks for slightly different reasons, and I would always want both in my collection. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in Glencairn glasses