Thomas H Handy Sazerac bottled 2010

During my recent trip to Helvetica, our local whisky bar, my wife, my brother and sister in law and myself all got a chance to try the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye.

It was nothing short of brilliant.

However this is not that whisky.

Now that's not to say that this isn't a great whisky, I just want to clarify that there will be two reviews on the Thomas H. Handy in the coming days.

The Thomas H. Handy that I tried at the local whisky bar impressed me so much that my brother in law and I both decided that we each needed a bottle of this bad boy for ourselves.

As soon as I could I went straight to my favorite whisky store in Perth, the International Beer Shop, which carries the entire Sazerac Antiquities Collection from Buffalo Trace, and picked up my first bottle from said collection for myself.

It only ran me $250, but I felt that it was worth it.

Today my brother in law and I cracked this bad boy open and gave it a spin around the block!

The nose is cracking! Nothing short of that.

Complex and delicious!

Rye, big, beautiful, lovely rye!

Then hints of vanilla, oak, at times a hint of marshmallow, caramel, spices mainly nutmeg and cinnamon, and after about an hour of nosing a lovely tea aroma, I swear it's Earl Grey, but I can't be 100%, but it's definitely tea.

Absolutely lovely and mind boggling complex at times.

I swear at times it's the nose alone that makes me fall in love with the big boys out of Buffalo Trace.

Thick, juicy flavors pond the palate as I take a drink.

Wood, rye, lots of powerful spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, extremely spicy at times with what feels like peppers and with just the faintest hint of a hint of chocolate.

The finish is long and fairly intense with lots of rye flavors and the faintest hint of chocolate at the very end.

This as I said isn't the bottle that convinced me to spend $250 to buy a bottle of the Thomas H. Handy, but I'm still very glad that I bought this.

This whisky is in the same series as the George T. Stagg and the moment the liquid touches your lips, you know it's the same distillery that produces all these bad boys.

I've had the George T. Stagg before, I've had the Thomas H. Handy (obviously) and I've had the William L. Weller (Buffalo Traces Wheated bourbon) and while it can be extremely difficult to find in Australia and the price point is ALWAYS high over here (expect to spend $250 to $300 and up to $400 a bottle, they're worth that $250-$300 price.

I'd previously purchased the George T. Stagg for my brother in law's birthday, because he had really wanted to try it, but wasn't prepared to spend $300 on a bottle of whisky.

He now is.

And after trying the Thomas H. Handy, he's now prepared to spend that $300 again on another whisky.

If you see and can afford it, Buy it!

Nose: Very juicy maraschino cherries, incredibly sweet oranges, spicy cinnamon, iced tea, butter pecan syrup, clove in the form of Peychaud's bitters, sugary wood, toasted marshmallows, spicy ginger snaps.

Taste: Lots of sugary wood, nutmeg reminiscent of egg nog, spicy cinnamon, clove, apple pie, and even some pine needles. The sweet spice is once again very similar to Peychaud's bitters. Very assertive.

Finish: Initially spicy, some orange, peel and all, settling on toasted wood.

Once again a member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection wows me. This collection of whiskey is simply fantastic. This one, and the William Larue Weller from the same release, prove to me that American bourbon and rye can be just as engaging and complex as single malt Scotch whisky and in some cases, more so.

I find the notes of Peychaud's bitters to be interesting and humorous given that Peychaud's bitters is produced by the Sazerac Company here in New Orleans, which happens to be the company that owns Buffalo Trace. It may sound silly, but I take a certain amount of pride knowing that this exceptional whiskey was produced by a distillery owned by a company in my hometown. The whisky industry often feels so far removed from me as, often, attention is given to Scotland. It's nice to drink something that has a local story in mind, even though it was distilled in Kentucky.

So, we continue our little journey through the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, and this time with the T.H.Handy 2010, straight Rye.I’m quite fond of rye whiskies, and this one is no exception. It turned out to be a fab example of rye whiskies. This one should be around 6 years of age, and is bottled at a whopping Cask strength of 63.45%. Mamma mia.

Let’s dive…

Nose: A rye nose but not as powerful rye as expected , and that is a good thing. Spicy almost peppermint-y. The kind you find in cinnamon pepper bubble gum. In addition lots of Vanilla ,some dill, liquorice. a twist of Turkish delight and rose water. Wow! That is one hell of a complex nose. Palate: It needs some time to open and release all those lovely flavours , Starting hot and sweet. With a lot of sugar, maple, milk chocolate and chilly. A stunner. Finish: Rye notes and spices. Fairly long.

Bottom line:

This is nothing short of a stunner. Complex, with a lot of oomph, and rye goodness. I love it. It’s not the most rounded of all, but it’s good for you! Not cheap, but if you’re in the USA you can find it a lot cheaper at around $80. Now that’s an amazing price over there.

This review is of the fall 2010 5th release of the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey, one of the five whiskeys in the Sazerac Antiquities Collection, together with Eagle Rare 17 yo Bourbon, George T. Stagg Bourbon, William Larue Weller Bourbon, and the Sazerac 18 yo Rye Whiskey.

Nose: medium intensity, slightly sweet, and also spicy, some citrus, some vanilla, faint caramel

Taste: An explosion of vivid, crisp, bright rye spiciness in the mouth. The rye flavours are exceptionally vibrant in this whiskey. The wood is much more in evidence on the palate than in the nose. Sweet and dry at the same time. The barrel proof 126.9 proof alcohol level works well with the crisp rye and wood flavours.

Finish: Long and very consistent gradual fade out of all of those intense flavours.

Balance: I like Rye Whiskey the most of all styles and this is my favourite rye whiskey. Jim Murray named this 2011 Second Finest Whisky in the World. The only rye I have ever found more intriguing is almost impossible to acquire now: the 2007 release Willett 23 yr old "The Iron Fist" Rye Whiskey. But I would probably drink this one nearly as often as I would drink the Iron Fist, if I had a bottle. If you can, get your hands on a bottle of this whiskey while it is still available.

This is a seriously lively whiskey! Very Classy. Long Finish, really redefines Rye whiskey for me. A real eye opener! Drinking this brings to mind a diamond shell of crystallized rye that melts into a dream of warming fruits, caramel, beautiful rye. One of the all-time greats! Fantastic!