Sazerac 18 Year 2004 Straight Rye

Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2004 Antique Collection)

Price

$2,999.95

✔ 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 (2005 Release) | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA | Proof: 90 Proof

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

90.0

Proof

45.0%

ABV

750 mL

Format

18 Yrs

Age Statement

≤1986

Distillation

Kentucky

Region

Buffalo Trace's fall 2004 Antique Collection carried three whiskeys, and the 2004 Sazerac 18 Year Old was its only rye: an 18-year-old Kentucky straight rye bottled beside Eagle Rare 17 and George T. Stagg. Its age statement puts its distillation in 1986 or earlier.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

18-Year Age Statement: Minimum 18 years in charred oak, placing distillation in 1986 or earlier.

Three-Whiskey Set Allocation: Released in fall 2004 alongside Eagle Rare 17 and George T. Stagg.

Sole Rye in 2004 Collection: The collection's only rye prior to the arrivals of William Larue Weller (2005) and Thomas H. Handy (2006).

90 Proof Bottling: Proofed to a refined 90 proof (45.0% ABV) for release.

Sazerac Coffee House Namesake: Carries the New Orleans name behind the cocktail that made rye whiskey its base.

Nº 02

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Aged Rye Heritage

Frankfort 1986 or Earlier Distillation

Distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, Sazerac 18 Year Old is the age-stated rye entry in the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Carrying the legendary Sazerac name from 19th-century New Orleans coffee house culture, this 2004 release represents a rare three-bottle collection era preceding the portfolio's expansion.

Nº 03

Craftsmanship & Cask Architecture

18-Year Oak Maturation

Distilled ≤1986

Straight Rye Mash Platform

Distilled in 1986 or earlier from Buffalo Trace's straight rye mash bill, featuring rye as the primary grain alongside corn and malted barley.

Oak Barrel Aging

18-Year Oak Maturation

Aged a minimum of 18 full years in new charred white oak barrels before selection for the fall 2004 Antique Collection.

2004 Antique Collection

Three-Whiskey Release

Selected for the fall 2004 Antique Collection, which carried Eagle Rare 17 and George T. Stagg alongside this rye.

90.0 Proof Bottling

Chill Filtered Proofing

Proofed down to 90 proof (45.0% ABV) before hand-bottling for the fall 2004 Antique Collection.

Nº 04

Profile & Strategy

Release Context

Strength & Structure

Sazerac 18 is proofed to 90 (45.0% ABV) rather than bottled at barrel strength, making it the age-stated rye in a collection otherwise built on cask-strength whiskey. Eighteen years in charred oak stand behind that number, and the 2004 release is the earliest Sazerac 18 in the Antique Collection era.

Strategic Position

This bottle belongs to the Antique Collection in its three-whiskey years. Its 2004 companions were George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare's seventeen-year bottling, and the Sazerac 18 was the only rye among them. William Larue Weller joined in 2005 as an uncut, barrel-proof bourbon and Thomas H. Handy followed in 2006, so the next two collections carried four and then five whiskeys.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault Provenance

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Distillation-Year Disambiguation

Sazerac 18 made from 2004 rye came far later: the 2022 bottling filled in spring 2003 and 2004, and the 2023 release, filled in fall 2004 and spring 2005. A listing that dates a bottle by its rye can therefore point at one of those two releases rather than this one. In the series, the release after this one is the 2005 bottling a year on.

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Straight Rye Vault Context

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

Collector IndexSAZERAC 18 2004

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Series Position: 2004 BTAC Allocation
Category: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Proof / ABV: 90.0 Proof (45.0% ABV)
Age Statement: 18 Years (Distilled ≤1986)
Format: 750 mL

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
PRODUCER / DISTILLERY	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky (Sazerac Company)
COLLECTION	2004 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC)
CATEGORY	Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (Age-Stated)
AGE AT BOTTLING	18 Years (Distilled ≤1986; Bottled Fall 2004)
PROOF / ABV	90 Proof / 45.0% ABV
GRAIN RECIPE	Kentucky Rye (51%+), Corn, Distiller's Malted Barley
REGION	Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
FORMAT	750 mL
SKU	088004000035-SZ04

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Buffalo Trace aged, bottled and released this Kentucky straight rye in fall 2004. An 18-year age statement counts only time in oak, so the whiskey was distilled in 1986 or earlier. It was proofed to 90 before bottling, and under US rules a straight rye is made from a mash of at least 51% rye and aged at least two years in new charred oak containers.

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

How old is the 2004 Sazerac 18?

The 2004 Sazerac 18 Year Old carries an 18-year age statement, which under US labeling rules is the minimum time the whiskey spent in oak. For a bottle released in Buffalo Trace's fall 2004 Antique Collection, that puts the rye's distillation in 1986 or earlier.

Which Sazerac 18 bottlings came from barrels filled in 2004?

Two releases from 2022 and 2023. Buffalo Trace says the 2022 Sazerac 18 Year Old came from barrels filled in the spring of 2003 and 2004, and the 2023 release from barrels filled in fall 2004 and spring 2005. The 2004 Sazerac 18 itself was released in fall 2004 and was distilled in 1986 or earlier.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Buffalo Trace Distillery · Sazerac 18 Year Old (2004 Release)

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Sazerac 18 Year Old

The Elemental Distinction

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Aged Rye Heritage