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Sazerac 18 Year Old Rye BTAC 2025 Review

Is long-aged rye worth the wait? This 18-year Sazerac from BTAC 2025 proves why patience pays off with its perfect balance of mint, spice, and mature complexity.

OVERALL RATING

9
$2000
  • Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash and a graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme. With over half a decade of industry experience, she is passionate about writing stories that highlight innovation, diversity, and sustainability across the global whisky landscape.
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Tasting Notes

About:

2025’s Sazerac Rye entry into the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection arrives with full power. Bottled at 129.8 proof (64.9% ABV), the whiskey was aged for 18 years and 5 months prior to bottling.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is a yearly release that showcases high-age and (usually) high-proof expressions from Buffalo Trace Distillery’s range of iconic brands. These brands include Eagle Rare, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, & Sazerac Rye. The 2025 release was especially exciting for whiskey lovers thanks to the debut of E.H. Taylor Jr. Bottled-in-Bond, the first new addition to the collection since 2006.

The tasting notes below are drawn from my experiences tasting through BTAC 2025 at the invitation of Sazerac in November 2025.
Appearance:
A rich, burnished amber in the glass, with slow, weighty legs.
Nose:
Bright and immediately engaging. Fresh mint sits front and centre, joined by lifted citrus notes of orange zest. Nutmeg and cinnamon bring warmth, while subtle woody and herbal touches, birch and a hint of rosemary, add depth. For its proof, the nose is remarkably open and composed.
Palate:
Cooling mint and freshly cut grass arrive first, followed by baking spices and a gentle prickle of white pepper. Tart green apple cuts through the richness, keeping the profile sharp and focused. There is a lovely tension here between sweetness and earthiness, with the rye character remaining crisp throughout.
Finish:
Long and measured, with spice lingering alongside a clean, apple-led brightness. It fades slowly, leaving a sense of freshness.
Comments:
This is rye at full maturity, confident and exacting rather than showy. It came very close to being my standout of the 2025 Antique Collection. The balance is spot on: minty but never menthol-heavy, spicy without aggression, and deeply mature without drifting into tired oak. A whisky that rewards attention and reminds you why long-aged rye is worth the wait.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Beth Squires

Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash with over half a decade of industry experience. She possesses comprehensive knowledge of the global whisky landscape, spanning everything from heritage and production to complex market analysis. A graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme, which champions women in whisky, Beth is a dedicated advocate for diversity and sustainability, focused on highlighting the innovation and storytelling that define the modern whisky industry.

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