The Sazerac 18 is the old Rye Whiskey of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, and after tasting a bunch of old Rittenhouses over the last couple of months I was getting very excited to taste this one! In previous years it was one of the first of the collection to sell out, so I was thrilled to be able to get this one for the Bottle-Share!

Nose:
When you pour it you already get the full smells of the whiskey, far away from the glass. Nice sweetness and very alluring… Then, when you stick your nose in you get fields of grain, rye, some chocolate and caramel. It gets a little more spicy after those sweet scents with cinnamon and tobacco. At some point I picked up green leaves and clove. Sweet yellow fruits like lemon and pineapple and some peppermint to boot!

Taste:
Cherries with a nice peppery kick to them. A little drying and a heap of rye. Again, the wood spices, cinnamon and clove. Very nice and you just keep this swimming around in your mouth for minutes.

Finish:
The finish is somewhat less sweet and drying with added fruitiness. Lemon, lime and orange. Lots of citrussy goodness that is! The finish more or less lasts forever. The spices are still here but the fruits are a bit more prominent.

Halleluja! If there was a church of American Whiskey, this one would preach. Such heaps and heaps of flavours and smells that keep circling back to you. Everytime they do they do bring along a new friend as well. I tasted this twice and with every sniff or sip I found something new. The balance is perfect and it just keeps you hooked from the beginning! This just shot up to number 1 on my wish list!

Right up there with those old Rittenhouses. Apparently I should start paying more attention to rye whiskies, since I really really love them. Especially the old ones. Shame they are so bloody expensive in Europe.

Sazerac 18, 45%, 2010, available at Master of Malt for about 125 euros.

Nose: 10
Taste: 10
Finish: 10
Overal experience: 10
Price/quality: +2

Total: 42 points (full maximum)