Aged oak | Rye spice | Leather | Raisin | Plum | Vanilla cake | Well balanced

Baking spices | Aged oak | Juicy plum | Raisin | Apricot | Light white grape | Lively yet elegant

Baking spices | Nutmeg | Cinnamon sugar mix | Aged oak | Leather | Tapering spice

Sazerac 18 Year in the late 2000s and early 2010s was a rye that was at the top of its game. Originally steel tanked in 2003 to prevent further aging, rye lovers enjoyed a consistent release year over year that brought a smile to their faces. That all changed when the tanked whiskey ran out, and the brand “started anew” in 2016. Since then, Sazerac 18 Year has had its ups and downs, however, in 2024, Sazerac returned to form, dialing in a high aged rye flavor profile with a sip that harkened back to its earlier days.

Taking a page from the same playbook, the 2025 version continues this high quality trend. Based on the fact sheet provided by Buffalo Trace, the 2025 edition appears to be a blend of the rye used in last year’s release with one put into oak a year later. The result is a rye that drinks very close to its immediate predecessor with oak and various forms of spice at its core. The sip opens with aged oak, rye spice, leather, raisin, plum, and vanilla cake, which is well balanced and inviting. The midpoint is lively yet elegant, highlighting baking spices and aged oak, with complementary fruit notes of juicy plum, raisin, apricot, and light white grape. The finish brings tapering baking spices, nutmeg, and a cinnamon sugar mix against aged oak and leather.

Overall, this is an excellent high aged rye whiskey, and now with two years of a return to the tanked version’s level of quality, it is satisfying to see Buffalo Trace bring Sazerac 18 Year back to form. The only thing holding this whiskey back is its overall lightness, as a little more intensity could have amplified its flavor profile to a greater height.