The last few months have seen a lot of new whiskey coming out of Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery, including the release of the 2025 Pappy Van Winkle lineup and the new Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, which featured the addition of Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond Bourbon. But the distillery has also been busy on the rye whiskey front with the release of a new 100-proof version of Sazerac Rye a few months ago, and an even higher-proof version was announced today.
The new whiskey, Sazerac Rye Whiskey Full Proof, clocks in at 125 proof, putting it well above both the original 90-proof expression and the new 100-proof version in terms of strength. The term “full proof” refers to whiskey that is bottled at the proof that it goes into the barrel, as opposed to “barrel proof” which means that the whiskey is bottled at the proof at which it comes out of the barrel. So a full-proof whiskey might be diluted down to its entry proof, especially in places like Kentucky where the barrel proof can rise quite a bit from the strength at which it went in.
Buffalo Trace has a couple of other full-proof expressions in its portfolio—Benchmark, which is also bottled at 125 proof, and Weller, which comes in at 114 proof. “We’re excited to bring another full proof option to fans after they’ve expressed their love for our W.L. Weller and Benchmark full proof offerings,” said master distiller Harlen Wheatley in a statement. “Our expansion is 10 years in the making, and it’s rewarding to see how it’s already allowing us to create more of these whiskeys while maintaining the quality our fans expect.”
We have not been able to sample this new whiskey yet, but the official tasting notes describe it as sort of being an amplified version of the original Sazerac Rye. Look for aromas of rye spice, fresh dill, and smoky oak on the nose. That’s followed by some sweetness on the palate along with floral and herbal notes, oak, and rye grain character throughout. The finish has some pepper and lighter rye spice along with the warmth (some might call it heat) that you’d expect from a whiskey at this strength.
Sazerac Rye Full Proof will be available starting this month at select retailers around the country with a price tag of $40 per bottle, so hopefully that will not get significantly higher when it hits the secondary market. If you’re in Kentucky and want to sample the whiskey before you buy a bottle, you can visit the distillery this weekend for the Sazerac Rye Vertical Tasting—a $10 ticket will get you pours of all the Sazerac Ryes in the lineup, including the excellent 18-year-old.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker