Sazerac 18 Year Old Rye Whiskey 2011
The Nose: Oh man…a rich, sweet, engrossingly complex nose with orange blossom honey, deep cinnamon, butterscotch, and warm soft rye bread. There’s a bit of that pickling spice earthiness I seem to get with rye whiskies, but it’s mellowed here by the wood, washed with spice and honey. There are nice secondary notes of vanilla crème brûlée (especially the burnt sugar top) and old worn leather.
The Palate: Much less sweet than the nose implies, the burnt toffee notes from the nose carry over with more toasted rye bread and a bit of orange pith. A terrific, powerful swell of woody spice quickly rolls in, bringing out more herbaceous, almost mint-like notes from the rye along with cinnamon stick, white peppercorns, rough clove, and strong, balanced, near perfect notes of tannic, leathery, charred oak.
The Finish: A wonderfully warm finish of charred oak, rye spice and white pepper. That powerful swell from the palate recedes here with almost perfect balance.
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