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Sazerac 18 YO Fall 2011 Release

Return to Form: 2011 Sazerac 18

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@VictorReview by @Victor

6th Dec 2011

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Sazerac 18 YO Fall 2011 Release
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    24
  • Overall
    94

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I wrote two Connosr reviews of Sazerac 18 2010 release, one at 4 months after the bottle was opened, and a second when I noted a very significant shift in the bottle flavours at 5 months of the bottle opened. I was initially greatly disappointed by Sazerac 18 2010 release because I was anticipating a "95 class" whiskey and did not get it. Great improvement occurred later in the bottle after opening, but still nothing approaching a whiskey that I would rate near 95. I consider this year's release to be much better. Sazerac 18 yr old Straight Rye Whiskey is one of the five Sazerac Antique Collection Whiskeys released once each year in the Fall (October-November). Unlike its SAC brothers George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, Sazerac 18 is not sold at barrel proof/cask strength, but is diluted down to 45% ABV. The reviewed bottle has been open for five weeks.

Nose: strong, smooth, and lush. Strong enough for the barrel proof crowd (like me) and tame enough for the general public. Beautiful rye flavours, beautiful wood flavours, and floral with carnations and roses.

Taste: beautiful elegant rye spice, mellow, but strong enough to impress. The wood is on point as well.

Finish: good gently diminishing finish leaving an impression like a fire gently dying.

Balance: beautifully balanced package. I usually like my whiskeys much above 45% abv, but this works for me just fine. Quite excellent. And, around here, stocks of Sazerac 18 just disappeared from the shelves almost immediately this year, with good reason. Buy some if you can find it.

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2 comments

K
Kanawha commented

Great review - getting a bottle this week - looking forward to the tasting. Quick, silly question (perhaps): when you say "opened," can you clarify? In other words, do you leave the cork out for extended periods or do you sense the whisky changes when opened, even with the cork in 99.9% of the time?

Thanks!

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Kanawha, thank you for your kind comments. Welcome to Connosr, and to the rye-loving contingent.

I do not leave the corks out for extended periods. Leaving a sample from a freshly opened bottle of whiskey to sit in the glass for a significant period, eg 30 to 120 minutes, does have the effect of observing what some of the initial effects of oxidation will be upon it.

The whisk(e)ys do have significant shifts in flavour over time after the first time that the bottle is opened and new air is introduced, even if at first only a little bit of the whiskey is consumed and the recorked bottle isn't touched again for a long time. Some whiskies don't come into their own until they have had some time to oxidise. Oxidation leads some whiskies to change a lot and perhaps quickly, others relatively little and slowly. A whiskey with more than half of the bottle empty will tend to accelerate the pace of oxidation.

I see that you, too, are a rye-whiskey lover. Bourbons and ryes usually improve with oxidation, particularly for the initial period lasting a couple of years. I have several reviews posted on Connosr of whiskeys that shifted enormous amounts, to the good, after the bottles have been opened 12, 18, and even 24 months, viz. Old Charter 8 yo, (standard)Sazerac Rye, and Elijah Craig 12 yo., respectively.

Highland Park 12, Highland Park 18, and Talisker 10 are examples of Scottish Malt whiskies which required a significant amount of time for my own bottles after opening to achieve their full flavours, 5, 4, and 7 months, respectively.

There are a couple of Connosr discussions on the subject of oxidation. Happily, at this point others on Connosr have joined me in being interested in the very great changes in whisky which often accompany the process of oxidation. As I like to say, whiskies are living breathing beings, which have life-cycles in their flavours, depending upon the level of oxidation. After awhile, with a lot of tasting experience, you can often have a very good idea, just from the flavours, whether you are tasting whiskey from a long opened well oxidised bottle, or, on the other hand, one that is a bit "locked-up" in its flavours, and is likely to open up a lot given some time and exposure to air.

12 years ago 0