Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye is a barrel proof rye and part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Regarded as a benchmark of barrel proof American rye, it is always a barely legal (51%) rye and six years old.
This is one of our favorite rye whiskeys each year. The Thomas H. Handy 2018 release was bottled at 128.8 proof, which is a slight increase from the last two years. The 2016 Thomas H. Handy was 126.2 proof. The 2017 Thomas H. Handy was 127.2 proof.
For the 2016 and 2017 releases, there was a noticeable switch between the taste. The 2016 release tasted just as much like bourbon as it did rye. The 2017 release was a much more distinctly rye whiskey.
So, how about the 2018 release?