Last Night's Tipple

The original Sazerac cocktail was a concoction including absinthe, bitters, simple syrup, and rye whiskey (other liquors, including cognac, were apparently used from time to time, but rye is the one most associated with the drink). The cocktail was invented by Antoine Peychaud, a New Orleans pharmacist who operated in New Orleans in the first half of the 19th Century. It later migrated into New Orleans coffee houses, most significantly the Sazerac coffee house, from which it takes its name. In the second half of the 19th Century, Thomas H. Handy, began to bottle and sell Sazerac cocktails and quickly expanded to buying up and distributing various liquor brands. Eventually, Sazerac bought the Buffalo Trace distillery.

I would imagine that the association between Sazerac cocktails and rye whiskey explains why Buffalo Trace includes Sazerac in the names of all of their rye whiskeys. The flagship of this line is Sazerac 18 year old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. It's a member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, which is released once or twice a year in limited quantities. This is some whiskey. At 18 years of age, you'd expect the wood to dominate, but that's not really the case. There are pleasant butterscotch and toffee aromas, but the whiskey still has that distinctive rye fruitiness and bite. There's also a good bit of cocoa on the nose and the palate, which I haven't really experienced before from any whiskey. Like the Van Winkle 15 year old that I had a couple of days ago, one should buy this when one sees it. It's exceptional, and it's hard to find.