bigwhitemike
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye (Fall 2018)
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
October 7, 2019 (edited October 14, 2019)
Really enjoyed my neat pour of this one. Thick, dark, and really really viscous. A good balance of sweet and savory.
Haven’t had either before and in name alone I couldn’t remember whether this BTAC one was the old but low proof or younger barrel proof. The way it drank I guessed 100% wrong. Very low ethanol, could not have told you this was the high proof stuff. Main clue was should have been how thick and viscous it was. Really nice cinnamon, oak, and hints of butterscotch.
At first blush, this is a clear new favorite barely legal rye... sort of like pikesville if it were twice as thick. Didn’t double check if that’s accurate on the mashbill, but that’s what I’m tasting. Not as complex as some, but knows what it is and delivers 100% on that. Probably not worth hunting (what is really?) but enjoy if you can try some.
22.0
USD
per
Pour
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@PBMichiganWolverine haha, totally fair but it’s easy to overestimate things. There are a lot of overhyped whiskeys out there. It is tough to draw a line between that which is worth putting on a pedestal and that which isn’t.
@bigwhitemike that’s a really good point. If they all had a substitute, who would buy these uber-premiums? It’s like saying “ I don’t want to spend $100k on the Porsche. Is there a 4 cylinder little Hyundai that gives me 90% of that Porsche ?” 😊
@bigwhitemike I think the 2019 is a big upgrade. I need to post a review. I wasn't in love with the 2018 but they definitely put out a really nice release this year! Cheers!
@dubz480 how do you compare the 2018 vs 2019 KC CS rye? I’m sitting on a 2018 but hadn’t even realized there was a 2019 release (silly me, I know).
@PBMichiganWolverine First instinct was my reference to Pikesville... that is my standing favorite 51%er and in my one time tasting (so far) this just feels like a syrupy thick, dark in the glass version but the same basic flavors. Maybe just a step up sensory experience. I love pikesville, and especially for < $50 in any liquor store. Totally agree there should be a poor/lazy man’s quick reference guide for 80-90% of a unicorn experience... but some aren’t that easy. Stagg Jr is only 50-60% of what GTS brings to the table IMO. Probabaly same with the Weller line vs WLW. Perhaps that’s a commentary that THH is good to great (again, IMO), but not head and shoulders above its imitators.
@dubz480 will have to seek that out. Thanks for the heads up.
@dubz480 I’ve had the Michter’s 10—that was amazing. Still pricey though. I need to get the Knob Creek
@Scott_E @PBMichiganWolverine the 2019 Knob Rye Cask Strength is a good substitute and better IMO. Same with the Michters BP Rye.
@Scott_E they need a tab on this site called “ poor man’s equivalent”, where for every bottle over $100, there’s a replacement that gets you a similar experience for < $100
@PBMichiganWolverine was thinking the same thing, across all BTAC.
If you were to compare this to something affordable , what would it be? Wondering if there’s a substitute that offers 90% of this at a fraction of the cost. ( Pikesville maybe ?)