Sazerac 18 Year 2020 Kentucky Rye

Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2020 Antique Collection)

Price

$1,899.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: 18 Years Old (2020 Release) | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA | Proof: 90 Proof

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Proof

45%

ABV

750 mL

Format

18 Yrs

Oak Age

2002

Vintage

Kentucky

Region

Rye distilled at Buffalo Trace in the spring of 2002 and aged on the third floor of Warehouse K, the 2020 Sazerac 18 Year Old was bottled at 90 proof — the only bottle under 100 proof in the 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. It shared its distillation season with that year's Eagle Rare 17, the only other 2002 whiskey in the set, and Buffalo Trace's note lists oak, caramel and dark chocolate with a finish of coffee, black pepper and cherries.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Spring-2002 distillate: One season on from the spring-2001 rye in the 2019 release, and the same spring as that year's Eagle Rare 17.

Third floor of Warehouse K: The storage Buffalo Trace records for 2020, one floor above the second-floor barrels of Warehouses K and L behind the 2019 bottling.

90 proof: The only 2020 Antique Collection bottle under 100 proof; Eagle Rare 17 came in at 101 and the three barrel-proof whiskeys at 129.0 to 134.5.

Minnesota Rye Platform: Large-grain Minnesota rye, Kentucky corn as small grain, and North Dakota malted barley to finish.

A different note from 2019: Oak, caramel and dark chocolate, then coffee, black pepper and cherries — sharing only oak, black pepper and cherries with Buffalo Trace's 2019 description.

Nº 02

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage

Frankfort 2002 Vintage Era

Distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, the 2020 Sazerac 18 represents the spring 2002 distillation run. Aged for full eighteen years on the third floor of Warehouse K, this release delivers extraordinary wood complexity and refined rye spice.

Nº 03

Craftsmanship & Cask Architecture

2002 Distillation & Warehouse K Maturation

2002 Vintage Distillate

Minnesota Rye Mash

Distilled in spring 2002 from Minnesota rye, Kentucky corn, and North Dakota malted barley double distilled to 135 proof.

Warehouse K Floor 3

18Y Oak Maturation

Aged 18 full years on Floor 3 of Warehouse K, developing rich oak tannins, caramel, and dark chocolate profiles.

90 Proof Precision

Chill-Filtered Elegance

Precision proofed to 90 proof (45.0% ABV) with limestone spring water and chill filtered, prioritizing silkiness and refined mint-spice top notes.

Independent Stave Oak

Heavy Char Cooperage

Entered new 53-gallon white oak barrels (#4 char, 55-second char) at 125 proof in spring 2002.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distillery Tasting Notes

Sensory Profile

Nose: Summer fruit, apricot, baking spice, rye spice, and aged rackhouse oak at light intensity.
Palate: Fine oak wood, toasted caramel, and deep dark chocolate layers.
Finish: Drying and complex; roasted coffee, fresh black pepper, and dark cherries.

Strategic Position

The closest comparison in the 2020 set is the Eagle Rare 17 distilled that same spring of 2002. Compare it directly with the 2019 Sazerac 18 from Warehouses K and L and the 2021 Sazerac 18 in the four-bottle collection within Midnight Whiskey's vault.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault Provenance

→

2002 Distillation Era Benchmark

The 2020 allocation represents a clean distillation progression to spring 2002, moving one floor higher to Warehouse K, Floor 3.

→

Rye Whiskey Vault Context

Catalogued within the primary Whiskey Collection and The Vault at Midnight Whiskey.

Collector IndexSAZ18 2020 RELEASE

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Series Position: 2020 BTAC Allocation
Category: Kentucky Straight Rye
Proof / ABV: 90 Proof (45.0% ABV)
Age Statement: 18 Years Old (Distilled Spring 2002)
Format: 750 mL

Explore the rye whiskey collection this Sazerac 18 Year 2020 belongs to.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
PRODUCER / DISTILLERY	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky (Sazerac Company)
COLLECTION	2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC)
CATEGORY	Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
AGE STATEMENT	18 Years Old (Distilled Spring 2002, Bottled Fall 2020)
PROOF / ABV	90 Proof / 45.0% ABV
FILTRATION	Chill Filtered
MASH BILL	Minnesota Rye, Kentucky Corn, North Dakota Malted Barley
WAREHOUSE / FLOOR	Warehouse K (Floor 3)
REGION	Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
FORMAT	750 mL
SKU	088004140045-20

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Buffalo Trace's readable Sazerac 18 letters for 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2025 record one process: Minnesota rye as the large grain with Kentucky corn and North Dakota malted barley, a sour mash, double distillation through a beer still and doubler, and new white oak barrels with a #4 char filled at 125 proof. The 2020 batch was drawn from barrels filled in the spring of 2002, aged on the third floor of Warehouse K, and bottled at 90 proof.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the 2020 Sazerac 18 distilled?

The 2020 Sazerac 18 Year Old was distilled at Buffalo Trace in the spring of 2002 and aged on the third floor of Warehouse K, a floor higher than the second-floor barrels in Warehouses K and L behind the 2019 release. Eagle Rare 17 was distilled the same spring, making the two the only whiskeys in the 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection distilled in 2002.

How does the 2020 Sazerac 18 relate to the original 'tanked' batches?

It is not drawn from them. The original tanked Sazerac 18, barrel-aged whiskey moved into a stainless steel tank in 2003 to stop it aging, ran out with the 2015 release, while the 2020 Sazerac 18 Year Old was distilled in the spring of 2002. Buffalo Trace did tank one later batch, emptying barrels of spring-1998 rye into a steel tank in 2016 for the 2017 release, but its 2020 release text describes this whiskey resting on the third floor of Warehouse K and mentions no tank.

What does the 2020 Sazerac 18 taste like?

Buffalo Trace lists oak, caramel and dark chocolate as the main flavors of the 2020 Sazerac 18 Year Old, with a finish of coffee, black pepper and cherries.

What proof is the 2020 Sazerac 18?

The 2020 Sazerac 18 Year Old was bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), making it the only bottle under 100 proof in the 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Eagle Rare 17 was bottled at 101 proof, while George T. Stagg (130.4), William Larue Weller (134.5) and Thomas H. Handy (129.0) went out at barrel proof.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Buffalo Trace Distillery · Sazerac 18 Year (2020 Release)

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Sazerac Rye

The Elemental Distinction

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage