Thomas H Handy Sazerac is one of those bottles that commands attention before you even crack the seal. Part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — the annual release that sends bourbon and rye hunters into a frenzy — this 2013 distillation, bottled in 2019 at a hefty 62.85% ABV, is about as uncompromising as American rye whiskey gets. At six years old, it's younger than some of its BTAC siblings, but don't mistake youth for immaturity. Handy has always been the collection's wild card: barrel proof, unfiltered, and built to remind you what rye whiskey was before the cocktail revival smoothed everything out.
What To Expect
This is a straight rye bottled at full barrel strength — 62.85% is no joke, and it hits like it. The Handy line is named after the man who popularised the Sazerac cocktail in 19th-century New Orleans, and there's a fitting irony in the fact that this whiskey is almost too intense to mix without serious thought. At six years in new charred oak, the wood influence will be present but shouldn't dominate. What you're getting here is grain-forward rye character shaped by time at high proof in the barrel. The lack of chill filtration means the texture should carry real weight — oily, coating, the kind of mouthfeel that barrel-proof rye delivers when it hasn't been stripped back.
The 2013 vintage year is worth noting. Buffalo Trace's rye mash bill and fermentation regime haven't changed dramatically, but warehouse conditions shift year to year, and the six-year maturation window from 2013 to 2019 would have seen its share of hot Kentucky summers pushing spirit deep into the wood. That's where a lot of the spice and sweetness interplay comes from in these releases.
The Verdict
At £1,500, this is squarely in collector territory. Let's be honest about that. You're paying for scarcity, for the BTAC name, and for a specific vintage window that won't come around again. Is it worth it purely as liquid? That depends on how much you value drinking something genuinely rare versus something that tastes excellent at a fraction of the price. What I can tell you is that Thomas H Handy consistently delivers one of the most authentic barrel-proof rye experiences in American whiskey. It doesn't try to be approachable. It doesn't apologise for its proof. It rewards patience — a splash of water opens these up dramatically — and it rewards attention.
I'm giving this an 8.3 out of 10. The whiskey itself is outstanding rye from one of America's benchmark distilleries, bottled in a way that respects the spirit. The price keeps it from a higher score simply because value has to factor in somewhere, and at this level you're buying the story as much as the liquid. But if you have the bottle, open it. That's what it's for.
Best Served
Neat, in a Glencairn or wide-rimmed tasting glass, with a few drops of water added after your first sip at full strength. The proof needs room to breathe — water unlocks complexity without dulling the rye spice. If you're feeling brave and want to honour the namesake, build a Sazerac: a barspoon of simple syrup, a few dashes of Peychaud's bitters, and a quarter-ounce of water to bring the proof into balance. Use a light hand. A whiskey this intense will dominate any cocktail it's in, which — for a Sazerac — is exactly the point.
