THOMAS H HANDY SAZERAC STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY 129.8 PROOF

Named for the New Orleans bartender who popularized the Sazerac cocktail, this 2025 release from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, Kentucky is distilled from a rye-dominant mash, double-distilled through beer still and doubler, and aged 6 years and 3 months in #4 char, 53-gallon new white oak barrels from Cumberland Cooperage across upper floors of Warehouses N, L, AA, and DD. Bottled uncut and unfiltered at a barrel-strength 129.8 proof — up from 125 at entry — with 31% lost to evaporation. Toffee, fig cake, and candied fruit open; mint, cinnamon, and clove follow; allspice, coconut, and nutmeg close long and warm. Gold Medal, 2025 London Spirits Challenge.