Review: Sazerac Rye Full Proof

Couldn’t get your hands on Sazerac 18 Years Old this year (hey, neither did we) — make do perhaps with this more accessible upgrade to Sazerac 6 Years Old — Sazerac Full Proof.

This permanent addition to the Sazerac Rye lineup is the same juice as other Sazeracs, but bottled at a blazing 125 proof, the highest in the lineup (which also includes a bonded expression). Like the bonded expression, this has no formal age statement (nor any publicly available information about how long it’s spent in barrels).

Sazerac Rye Full Proof Review

If you like your rye whiskey aggressive and punchy, look no further: This is a monster whiskey that fully leans into the most iconic and savory elements of classic Kentucky rye. Biting aromas of green grass, sage, and bay leaf meld with black pepper and cloves to create a pungency I’ve rarely encountered in competing products — and this never really wavers. Time in glass aplenty does little more than maintain the status quo.

The palate of the whiskey continues that savory theme, though here it’s a bit more herbal, with rosemary and a stronger bay leaf note, perhaps veering into juniper territory in the end. Hot with pepper both black and red, I found it a bit of a daunting sip — though at 62.5% abv, perhaps unsurprising. That pepper veers into notes of anise with time in glass, but it’s never short of hot.

Water’s a real godsend with this whiskey, for all the obvious reasons. The peppery notes are less hot. The herbal notes are less gritty. The heat on the back of the throat is less caustic. Tamed down to 100 proof or so, the whiskey finds its footing, and its complexity. That includes notes of chocolate and a strong vanilla through-line, then late-game flavors of prune and raisin — vaguely floral on the finish.

All told it’s quite a ride for this whiskey, and one which could very well feel quite divisive. I gravitated to it over time, but it was a long time coming — and took more water than I expected.

125 proof.

B+/ $40

The post Review: Sazerac Rye Full Proof appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.