Aged oak | Almond vanilla cake | Light nutmeg | Faint cinnamon powder | Aged leather | Ripe plum

Baking spices | Base layer of aged oak | Rye spice | Syrup | Raisin | Refined aged notes

Rye spice | Syrup covered raisins | Cinnamon bark | Aged oak | Earthy | Mellow heat

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, the brand has had its ups and downs, however, in 2024, Sazerac has the brand returning to form, or at least a new interpretation of it.

The sip opens on a combination of age, sweetness, and spices, thanks to aged oak and leather mingling with ripe plum and almond vanilla cake. Light nutmeg and faint cinnamon powder add additional intrigue. The midpoint brings about refined aged notes focused on baking spices, rye spice, syrup, raisins, and a base layer of nicely aged oak. Rounding out the sip is an earthy finish that focuses on rye spice, syrup covered raisins, cinnamon bark, and, of course, that familiar aged oak note.

Tasting the 2024 version next to the 2014 version shows the stride that Buffalo Trace has come in refining the new non-steel tanked batch Sazerac 18 Year. While the tanked version seems to offer a touch more refinement and fruitiness, this year's version comes incredibly close to matching it and is the best one since 2015. The brand has undulated over the past few years, but 2024 is proof that Buffalo Trace has the capability of recapturing what made those old Sazerac releases so special.