Sazerac Rye is the straight rye made at Buffalo Trace for the Sazerac Company, named after the New Orleans cocktail. At 90 proof it is made for mixing, and it works equally well as an easy neat pour.
About This Whisky
The brand was relaunched in 2006 in a bottle modelled on an 1880s original. It is a straight rye, so it has at least four years in new charred American oak; Buffalo Trace does not publish the mash bill. It shares its recipe and strength with the older Sazerac 18 Year, which is why drinkers call it 'Baby Saz'. Bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV).
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Clove, vanilla, anise and pepper.
- Palate: Candied spice and citrus over apricot, orange peel and caramel.
- Finish: Smooth and fairly long, with liquorice and a last flash of rye spice.
Serving & Food
Make it the way New Orleans does: rinse a chilled glass with absinthe or Herbsaint, stir the rye with a sugar cube and Peychaud's Bitters over ice, strain, and twist lemon peel over the top. Neat, it goes well with gumbo, pâté or ginger biscuits.
How to Enjoy
A Sazerac or Manhattan at home, or a rye with a clear place in cocktail history.
Product Details
Producer: Sazerac Company, distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery
Origin: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
Style: Straight rye whiskey
Age: Minimum 4 years
Heritage: Linked to New Orleans and the Sazerac cocktail
ABV: 45%
Proof: 90
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
In 1850 Aaron Bird renamed his New Orleans bar the Sazerac Coffee House after the Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac it poured, and the house drink, cognac with Peychaud's Bitters, took the same name. It is often described as the first branded cocktail.
When phylloxera wiped out French vineyards later in the century, cognac became hard to get and the Sazerac switched to American rye, with a dash of absinthe added. The company that grew out of the bar still carries the Sazerac name, and today makes its rye in Frankfort, Kentucky.