Sazerac 18 Is the Best of the Antique Collection

Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection arrived this past fall, and as usual the whiskey world kind of freaked out and individual bottles immediately skyrocketed in price on the secondary market. There are always some great expressions in this annual series, but the one that really stood out this year kind of surprised me: Sazerac 18.

Buffalo Trace first released Sazerac Rye in 2006, but the whiskey’s origins can be traced back to the 1880s . . . sort of. Thomas H. Handy bought the Sazerac House, a New Orleans coffee shop and local institution, in 1869, and it soon became the sole source of Sazerac De Forge & Fils Cognac imported from France. Handy was forced out a few years later, and after the new owner lost the lease, the building was demolished. But Handy soon rebuilt it and ran a successful business there until his death. After the phylloxera outbreak destroyed vineyards in France in the late 19th century, rye whiskey became the spirit of choice for the eponymous Sazerac cocktail. But again, it wasn’t until the early 21st century, after the modern-day Sazerac company had acquired the George T. Stagg Distillery and renamed it Buffalo Trace, that Sazerac Rye was actually released.

The first Antique Collection came out in 2000, but it certainly did not hold the same popular appeal then as it does today. Sazerac 18 was part of that first collection, so this whiskey actually predates the core non-age statement expression by about six years. Buffalo Trace is extremely tightlipped about its mashbills, but it is commonly believed that this rye whiskey is made from a recipe of 51 percent rye, 39 percent corn, and 10 percent malted barley (that may not be exactly right). “Baby Saz,” as the NAS expression is sometimes called, is thought to be somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, but both that whiskey and the 18-year-old version are bottled at 90 proof, a marked difference from some of the other extremely high proofs in the BTAC.

That might be part of why this year’s release is so good, but that’s not the whole story. I would posit that this is a rye whiskey that will appeal to people who don’t necessarily identify as rye whiskey fans. There is a richness and complexity to the palate, which strikes an amazing balance between subtle spice and deep vanilla and oak notes. Try this next to Thomas H. Handy Sazerac, the younger barrel-proof straight rye expression in the collection, and there’s just no comparison. Even up against the perennial favorite George T. Stagg (a bourbon, however, not a rye), this whiskey stands out. It’s not just the spice and vanilla notes that are front and center: There are flavors of dark cherry, soft licorice, some menthol, and a bit of smoke from the nearly two decades it spent in barrels.

Some whiskey fans believe that the quality of Sazerac 18 has wavered over the past decade or so after years of consistency when the bottles were drawn from the same vat of rye whiskey filled in 2003. That ultimately ran out, as a vat of whiskey is wont to do, and according to the brand Sazerac 18 has been drawn from dumped barrels since 2015. Whatever the case may be, this year’s release is fantastic. Is it worth paying ten times the listed price of $150 for a bottle, or even more than that? That’s a totally subjective question based on your means, desire, and dedication to the BTAC. But if you are looking for just one bottle from this vaunted collection to purchase, or order a pour of at a bar, make it this high-quality rye.

Score: 97