Buffalo Trace Adds to Its Rye Lineup with Sazerac Rye Full Proof

When Buffalo Trace introduced Sazerac Rye 100 Proof earlier this year, it was widely praised as a welcome bump-up from the standard 90 proof expression. Sazerac has always been a great cocktail brand, and bartenders in particular expressed their enthusiasm. But some voices in the higher-proof crowd clamored for more, saying that 100 Proof didn’t quite go far enough. Now Buffalo Trace has taken it up a notch again with Sazerac Rye Full Proof, bottled at 62.5% ABV and releasing this month as a permanent member of the Sazerac lineup.

The term “full proof” applies to whiskeys that are bottled at the same proof they entered the barrel, as opposed to “barrel proof,” which refers to whiskeys that are bottled at their proof when taken from the barrel. This means that by rule, a full proof whiskey can be diluted back down to its entry proof when it exits the barrel. That proof will be lower in Kentucky, where the hot climate boosts alcohol content during maturation. The distillery makes two other full proof expressions: Weller Full Proof wheated bourbon and the price-friendly Benchmark Full Proof bourbon.

We’ve yet to taste it, but needless to say, this new higher-octane Sazerac is already generating plenty of buzz. Sazerac 100 Proof scored 92 points with our tasting panel, which cited the enhanced flavors from the higher alcohol level, with notes of orange, clove, raisin, mint, vanilla, and caramel corn, with a peppery, spicy rye-like finish. Most whiskey lovers are anticipating those flavors to be amped up for this release, and you can expect its $40 retail price to go higher on the secondary market. The good news is that Buffalo Trace is attributing its flurry of new whiskey activity to the benefits of its $1.2 billion distillery expansion that’s been ongoing for a decade now, and we can expect more.

Buffalo Trace has a relatively small number of ryes in its portfolio compared to its formidable bourbon lineup. At the top of the rye quality ladder is, of course, Sazerac 18 year old, a highly acclaimed, ground-breaking expression introduced in 2000 as an original member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection—at a time when aged ryes were nowhere to be found. There’s also Thomas H. Handy Sazerac rye, an intensely flavorful barrel proof expression that launched in 2006, also as part of the Antique Collection. The standard Sazerac rye followed in 2010, and it wasn’t until this year that we got both 100 Proof and this latest expression.

Buffalo Trace will be celebrating Sazerac Full Proof’s release this weekend at the distillery with tastings held from Friday, November 14, through Sunday, November 16. The tastings will feature the four expressions in the Sazerac rye portfolio—90, 100, Full Proof, and 18 year old from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Tickets for these events are $10 each, available on a first-come, first-served basis at buffalotrace.com, but at press time they were already mostly sold out. The bottles are also available for purchase at the distillery gift shop.

If you can’t make it to Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye Full Proof will be available in select markets across the country starting this month.

Sazerac Rye Full Proof

ABV: 62.5%
SRP: $40
Availability: Select markets nationwide at retail, bars, and restaurants