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Sazerac Rye


velocci
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Hi all, has anyone tried a straight rye whisky from Kentucky called Sazerac Rye? its only 6 years old. i'm wondering if its good. how does it compare to canadian rye whiskies?

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Hi all, has anyone tried a straight rye whisky from Kentucky called Sazerac Rye? its only 6 years old. i'm wondering if its good. how does it compare to canadian rye whiskies?
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so the 6yo is nicknamed baby saz? is it smooth? i love all whiskies, including canadian whiskies, so I'm interested in how it tastes compared to canadian whisky. so my main question is if its smooth since its only 6yo and is it worth the $45can price tag here.

Baby Saz is quite unique in it's flavor profile. None of the other ryes taste anything like it.
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I'm a big fan of Baby Saz; in fact, it's one of my favorite ryes in its price range.

Canadian "rye" is an entirely different beast than American straight rye. The term rye is used generically to refer to Canadian whiskeys, whether or not they contain rye. Even the Canadians that include rye are blended whiskeys, that is, they blend flavorful rye whiskey with a higher proof, more flavor neutral whiskey. They tend to be much lighter and sweeter than American rye.

American straight rye is not blended with any neutral spirits. It must be at least 51% rye and the rest is usually corn and barley. It tends to be spicy and bold flavored.

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i was considering buying this bottle as an xmas gift. I decided to buy it. now i'm considering buying one for myself. but there is so many bottles out there that I want to get, but so little money. decisions decisions.

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i was considering buying this bottle as an xmas gift. I decided to buy it. now i'm considering buying one for myself. but there is so many bottles out there that I want to get, but so little money. decisions decisions.

Before you know it your cabinet will be overflowing and if you are married your wife will wonder what is up with that! You will have to learn to deal with justifying the cost as opposed to say her shoes or purses etc.

Anyway, rye is a terrific whiskey, be sure to add the very well priced Rittenhouse 100 proof to your collection.

As Sku pointed out...there is no comparison between Candian rye and American rye. Both are good but different.

Maybe the Canadians will correct that, it would be nice to see a traditional unblended rye whiskey from Canada.

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Rittenhouse is not available here :(

Before you know it your cabinet will be overflowing and if you are married your wife will wonder what is up with that! You will have to learn to deal with justifying the cost as opposed to say her shoes or purses etc.

Anyway, rye is a terrific whiskey, be sure to add the very well priced Rittenhouse 100 proof to your collection.

As Sku pointed out...there is no comparison between Candian rye and American rye. Both are good but different.

Maybe the Canadians will correct that, it would be nice to see a traditional unblended rye whiskey from Canada.

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Maybe the Canadians will correct that, it would be nice to see a traditional unblended rye whiskey from Canada.

From what I understand, there is one distillery that makes a 100% rye whiskey, Alberta Premium. It's still blended- I think the blend one rye whiskey that is 180 proof with one that is 130 proof. Whiskey + (a)GNS, but 100% rye GNS. Unfortunately it isn't available stateside, because I am really, really curious to try the stuff.

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Try Whistlepig. Has my vote as Whiskey of the Year. 100 percent Canadian rye bottled in Vermont.

-Mike

I second. It's great stuff. It's a $70 whiskey that's actually worth the price!

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that is definitely available here and is actually one of the cheepest canadian whiskies at the store, but is one of the best according to two whisky reviewers. its also one of the oldest at 25yo. I will definitely buy one, but since its always available, I will probably buy something else. like this Sazerac or maybe White Owl Whisky.

From what I understand, there is one distillery that makes a 100% rye whiskey, Alberta Premium. It's still blended- I think the blend one rye whiskey that is 180 proof with one that is 130 proof. Whiskey + (a)GNS, but 100% rye GNS. Unfortunately it isn't available stateside, because I am really, really curious to try the stuff.
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Velocci, I picked up a bottle of Sazerac. I find it worth the money. It is closer to bourbon than Canadian whisky in my opinion. It has the big body, oily texture, and woody flavour of bourbon, but the sweet notes are where it tastes a bit Canadian. There closest Canadian whisky I can think of is Crown Royal Limited Edition (comparing from memory). It is somewhere between that and bourbon.

Of course most Americans on this forum will tell you it's not worth $45. Perhaps they don't realize that most decent American whiskies (Knob Creek, Eagle Rare, Woodford Reserve) are over $40 here. Value is relative.

Is it smooth? I would say so. If I didn't know the age I might guess it to be 8 or 10 years, though American whiskey tends to age faster due to the new oak barrels. Sazerac goes down well and I feel no need to add water or use it for cocktails. It is a satisfying drink.

If you like all whisky (as I do), I would say give this one a go. It is the only straight rye I have ever seen in Ontario. It is a different category and you should enjoy the differences from other types of whisky.

As for Alberta Premium, the standard version is aged 5 years. Pretty decent if a little hot. The 25 year old version is sublime but no longer available.

Hope this helps.

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thanks for letting me know. i think i will buy a bottle. did you buy the 6 year old version?

Velocci, I picked up a bottle of Sazerac. I find it worth the money. It is closer to bourbon than Canadian whisky in my opinion. It has the big body, oily texture, and woody flavour of bourbon, but the sweet notes are where it tastes a bit Canadian. There closest Canadian whisky I can think of is Crown Royal Limited Edition (comparing from memory). It is somewhere between that and bourbon.

Of course most Americans on this forum will tell you it's not worth $45. Perhaps they don't realize that most decent American whiskies (Knob Creek, Eagle Rare, Woodford Reserve) are over $40 here. Value is relative.

Is it smooth? I would say so. If I didn't know the age I might guess it to be 8 or 10 years, though American whiskey tends to age faster due to the new oak barrels. Sazerac goes down well and I feel no need to add water or use it for cocktails. It is a satisfying drink.

If you like all whisky (as I do), I would say give this one a go. It is the only straight rye I have ever seen in Ontario. It is a different category and you should enjoy the differences from other types of whisky.

As for Alberta Premium, the standard version is aged 5 years. Pretty decent if a little hot. The 25 year old version is sublime but no longer available.

Hope this helps.

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  • 3 weeks later...
From what I understand, there is one distillery that makes a 100% rye whiskey, Alberta Premium. It's still blended- I think the blend one rye whiskey that is 180 proof with one that is 130 proof. Whiskey + (a)GNS, but 100% rye GNS. Unfortunately it isn't available stateside, because I am really, really curious to try the stuff.

Alberta Premium is a 100% rye, but it is only available in Canada. I picked up the 5 year, which was reasonably priced - 1 litre for about US$32. It is a good economy rye for mixing, but not my favorite for sipping. Alberta Premium had a 25 year old rye priced at US$25 for a 750 ml bottle. Really great comments on it and that 'is not to be missed'. The problem: Alberta Premium stopped producing it in Feb. 2010. U.S. drinkers were going across the border and buying up cases to take back with them. By the time I heard of it, there was no more available in Ontario (I am in Michigan). Rumor is that Alberta Premium is planning on coming out with a 30 year old rye - also for the Canadian market.

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Alberta Premium is a 100% rye, but it is only available in Canada. I picked up the 5 year, which was reasonably priced - 1 litre for about US$32. It is a good economy rye for mixing, but not my favorite for sipping. Alberta Premium had a 25 year old rye priced at US$25 for a 750 ml bottle. Really great comments on it and that 'is not to be missed'. The problem: Alberta Premium stopped producing it in Feb. 2010. U.S. drinkers were going across the border and buying up cases to take back with them. By the time I heard of it, there was no more available in Ontario (I am in Michigan). Rumor is that Alberta Premium is planning on coming out with a 30 year old rye - also for the Canadian market.

The Alberta Premium 30 year is slated to come out in 2011, but will be priced a lot higher than the 25 year old was.

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Like Megawatt, I also think Sazerac Rye (AKA "Baby Saz") is worth the money, even if it is a lot more steeply priced in Ontario than States-side; pretty much all decent American whiskey is expensive in Ontario. Alberta Premium NAS is very good, especially for the price, but it really is more a mixer than a sipper, unlike the Sazerac. I've never tried the Alberta Premium 25—again, it's not available in Ontario, to my knowledge—but I'm keen to.

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Alberta Premium is a 100% rye, but it is only available in Canada. I picked up the 5 year, which was reasonably priced - 1 litre for about US$32. It is a good economy rye for mixing, but not my favorite for sipping. Alberta Premium had a 25 year old rye priced at US$25 for a 750 ml bottle. Really great comments on it and that 'is not to be missed'. The problem: Alberta Premium stopped producing it in Feb. 2010. U.S. drinkers were going across the border and buying up cases to take back with them. By the time I heard of it, there was no more available in Ontario (I am in Michigan). Rumor is that Alberta Premium is planning on coming out with a 30 year old rye - also for the Canadian market.

Incidentally I had a glass of Alberta Premium 25 the other night at a friend's house. It was every bit as sublime as I remembered. But really it has very little in common flavour-wise with Sazerac. It is very creamy with chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch flavours. Sweet but also subtle.

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