Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey (2014) Review

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The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection contains three bourbons and two rye whiskies.  Of those two rye whiskies, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac rye is the younger barrel proof whiskey.    Thomas H. Handy Sazerac is basically an uncut and unfiltered version of Sazerac 6-ish year old 90 proof rye whiskey.  This year’s edition comes in at 129.2 proof.

According to Buffalo Trace’s website, Thomas H. Handy was the first bartender to use rye whiskey in a sazerac cocktail instead of cognac.  This happened right here in New Orleans.  The whisky’s label lovingly reflects its New Orleans heritage.  So, how does it taste?

Buffalo Trace Distillery provided a review sample.  Right off, there’s a grassy/grainy smell.  Beyond that there’s some cinnamon and a little burnt caramel.  This whisky tastes quite oaky, more than what I was expecting.  There’s some rye spice and caramel.  I even get a little fruit cake.  The finish is long, spicy and dry (probably because of the oak).

This year’s Thomas Handy rye is good, but I like last year’s better.  I found a bottle of the 2013 this past spring just sitting on a shelf at a local supermarket.  What are the odds?  The 2013 edition seemed to have all the flavors come together better than the 2014 edition.  That isn’t to say the flavors are all over the place.  Put it like this, if I could buy all 5 whiskies of this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, I would.  If I only had the chance to buy 4 of the 5 whiskies, I’d leave this one on the shelf.

7.5/10

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey (2014) Review

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Buffalo Trace releases two bourbons that carry the Eagle Rare name:  an almost readily available 10 year old version and this 17 year old entry in the Antique Collection.  Bourbon enthusiasts who prefer lower proof bourbon may reach for this before going for a much higher proof George Stagg or William Larue Weller.  Buffalo Trace provided a review sample.

This one’s really nice.  I get mostly caramel and oak, but not too much oak, when I smell this.  Taste-wise, I get some oak, some spices (cinnamon and a little nutmeg) and caramel.  It’s buttery:  not in the flavor, but the way it feels.  The finish is a little spicy, bittersweet, and a little dry (probably because of the oak).

I liked the 10 year old the last couple of times I drank it.  It’s great for the <$30 price tag.  Eagle Rare 17 year old is an outstanding boubon.  Elegant and refined, it keeps the oak in check.  Price-wise, this will set you back $80.  If you’re looking for an occasional special sipper, this one is worth checking out.

UPDATE:  According to Buffalo Trace’s fact sheets, this year’s Eagle Rare 17 year old bourbon is actually 19 years old.  There were only 26 barrels of this bourbon batched for this release, making Eagle Rare 17 along with Sazerac 18 the rarest of this year’s collection.

9/10

William Larue Weller Bourbon Whiskey (2014) Review

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William Larue Weller is the only wheated bourbon in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.  In essence, this is a barrel proof W. L. Weller 12 year old, which is not a bad thing.  I’m sure this release gets choice barrels from the W. L. Weller line of whiskies.  A wheated bourbon means wheat is used as the flavoring grain instead of the more common rye.  Maker’s Mark and the Van Winkle bourbons are all wheated bourbons.  Mr. Weller is credited with being the first distiller to use wheat instead of rye for bourbon back in the mid-1850s.

This year’s release of William Larue Weller is a hellish 140.2 proof.  That’s the highest proof this bourbon’s ever been.  It’s even higher than this year’s George T. Stagg… if only by a couple of proof points.  Buffalo Trace Distillery provided a review sample.

When I take a nice big whiff of this bourbon, I get lots of alcohol and caramel.  When I take a smaller whiffs, I get LOTS of caramel and toffee, as well as a little oak.  Tasting it there’s a lot of sweet caramel, baking spices like cinnamon and cloves, and toffee.  The finish is sweet and dry.  While the high proof does come into play in terms of spice and heat, I find it slightly more palatable to drink neat when compared to George T. Stagg.  Adding water to this calms down the heat and really brings out the sweetness.

Make no mistake, this is one delicious bourbon.  Being a member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection means it’ll be very hard to find in stores.  If the planets align and you run across a bottle, pick it up for the $80 suggested retail price.

9/10