Thomas Handy Sazerac is an awesome rye whiskey that suffers from having to live up to ridiculous expectations and hype.įull disclosure, I think that Thomas Handy is far from $300+ good (this review doesn’t consider price), and $100 is already pushing it for me. I just don’t feel as certain about giving Handy a “Top Shelf+” rating, so I won’t, but it still doesn’t take away from it’s greatness. It brimmed with so much tropical and fruity character that I had no doubt that it was “Top Shelf+”. This isn’t the perfect comparison, but Scotches such as Ben Nevis 18 just blew me away from the first smell to the last sip.
It doesn’t absolutely blow me away with how deep the scents and flavors are, and nothing is truly exceptional. It begs the question, “then why didn’t you rate Thomas Handy higher”? Thomas Handy is certainly an excellent rye whiskey, but it just doesn’t do enough for me to say or think, “holy shit”. With the rest of BTAC being at least 12 years old, it just goes to show that barrel selection is just as important as age in creating great whiskey, although I’m still a sucker for older age statements. Thomas Handy is one of the spiciest whiskeys I’ve ever had, but in a cinnamon and pepper type of way. It’s easy to fall for such a rich, spicy, intense, and interesting rye that offers more of a bourbon-like experience instead of the sweet, herbal, and vegetal one that Bulleit 12 Yearand Sagamore Spirit provide.
Thomas Handy rye whiskey is an amazingly fragrant and flavor rye whiskey. Thomas Handy 2018 is full, rich, and wonderful. Over time, it turns into tropical orange and banana custard, an interesting twist. “Chewing” leaves a lingering herbal sweetness and spice with cinnamon, anise, and mint. As the alcohol fades, I’m left with a pleasant and refreshing mint, anise, and citrus sweetness that lasts for ages. The finish is lengthy and outstanding, starting with sweet heat from alcohol, honey, spice, and cherry, as well as a healthy dose of wood tannins that start to ramp-up. The richness and intensity are a lot to process all at once. It’s a thick slab of rye bread lathered in intensely spiced and alcoholic marmalade. While it’s not dark and oaky overall, I find hints of cocoa powder and charred wood, as well as a light tropical fruitiness that I also find in WhistlePig 10. The woodiness provides a stronger cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper kick in conjunction with the fairly intense heat, coating my mouth with tingly alcohol and drying oils. With “chewing”, I still taste sweet caramel and fresh and dried oranges with almost as much mint and eucalyptus layered over cornbread. THH is not overwhelmingly hot, but it certainly has an intense and spicy punch. Noticeable mint, anise, and bread tastes from the rye stand out from time to time, reinforcing how spicy and rich Thomas Handy is. It’s an intense blend of caramel, orange, cherry, honey, and cinnamon with just a little less wood, cocoa, sour corn mash, and heat. While the nose is a little reserved at times, Thomas Handy Sazerac explodes with very sweet and spicy flavors. It’s incredibly fragrant and hot, but never harsh. There’s a lot to enjoy with Thomas Handy rye.
The heat picks up, adding to the nose-singeing intensity, but still allows the sweet and fragrant cinnamon and mint spices to flow freely with a slight citrusy bite. A little bit of cocoa, milk chocolate, sour corn mash, and musty wood contribute to the overall darkness and depth, providing a cola-like quality similar to Stagg Jr. Swirling changes the nose a little, introducing a stronger floral and grassy nectar character, as well as a little more mint, eucalyptus, and anise to the sweet honey, caramel, and maple syrup. The alcohol definitely has some kick but is far from overwhelming. The darkness seems to come mostly from caramel and dark fruits, and less from roasted wood and cocoa. Surprisingly, there’s not that much cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove, and the wood influence is not that strong. Regular Buffalo Trace to me has more rye-like mint and anise on the nose, but there’s also a lot less of everything else to draw my attention. Thomas Handy really smells more like a high-rye bourbon than a rye whiskey, but that’s not surprising since it “barely legal” at 51% rye. Mingled in the sweetness is fragrant and floral dried orange peel, cherry, and mint with a touch of sour bread. Thomas Handy rye is fairly dark with honey, caramel, and a little vanilla and maple syrup sweetness.
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