2020 Sazerac 18yr 90.0°

 

Nose: It has been expressed that Sazerac 18 year has one of the best, if not the best, nose in all of “bourbon.” The front of the nose is a unique aged forest oak with a leafy feel that as you smell more and more, it is a green with ethereal lights shining though to characterize a sweetness of the sun’s kiss. If you have never nosed a Sazerac 18yr, it would be incomplete to call your self a bourbon lover.   

 

Palate: Not that Sazerac 18yr is ever hot coming in, but this year’s expression gives a more warming feeling at the front. The heat lingers after the first sip – a slight embrace. It reminds me of a little child that is happy to see you and hugs you real fast before being occupied with whatever is in their world. The front has the grassy, forest-like moss with the earthiness to come slightly afterward.  The sweetness comes and goes amid the tasting – seemingly just to tease you. The soft oakiness comes at the back and reminds me of a Pappy 23, just more rye nuances than the wheater characteristics.  This year’s expressions seem to offer more depth and layers than the 2016, 2017, 2018 expressions and seem to be in line with the 2019 version, offering similar elements to the Tanked Sazerac (2006-2015). 

 

Verdict:  My first Sazerac 18yr was a 2018 expression at Westport Whiskey and Wine – it was described as, “…reminds me of the open plains with a slight breeze that grazes me as the smell of the grass joins the air during a slight gust.  Where one tastes the earth by the smell, Saz18’18 is smooth because of its proof with the earthy notes of the rye, but with subtleties that make one look deeper into it because of the lower, smooth proofing.”  

 

Sazerac 18yr is a unique representation in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Unlike George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, it isn’t represented by strength.  In the Taoist world of the Yin Yang, GTS, WLW, and THH are considered Yang elements in the bourbon world, focused on power, potency, force - where Sazerac 18 (and Eagle Rare 17yr) are focused on Yin characteristics of softness and grace.  If you are not a person who can enjoy the sound of the wind rustling the leaves or running water through the crevices of a creek, Sazerac 18yr is not for you.

 

This year's Sazerac 18yr reminds me why I have come to love this particular expression so much—phenomenal items. 

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