Sazerac 18 Year 2013 Rye Whiskey

Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2013 Antique Collection)

Price

$2,299.95

✔ 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 in Oak (28 Years total since 1985 Distillation) | 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

1985

Vintage

Kentucky

Region

Sazerac 18 Year 2013 is the long-aged rye of Buffalo Trace's fall 2013 Antique Collection: whiskey distilled in the spring of 1985, matured 18 years in oak, then emptied into stainless steel tanks in 2003 to stop the clock. Buffalo Trace drew this bottling from that reserve at 90 proof (45% ABV), three releases before the tank ran out in 2015.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV) under the line's fixed 18-year age statement.

Distilled in the spring of 1985; the whiskey left oak in 2003, when Buffalo Trace moved it into stainless steel tanks to halt maturation.

Released in the fall of 2013 — the third-from-last draw on that tank, with only the 2014 and 2015 bottlings to follow before the reserve was exhausted.

Buffalo Trace named Warehouse K as the warehouse that aged the original barrels, and described this bottling as mellow spice and vanilla sweetness with mint, closing dry.

Distilled in 1985 alongside the spring-2007 rye that became that year's six-year Thomas H. Handy — a twenty-two-year spread of distillate inside a single fall release.

Nº 02

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage

Frankfort 1985 Steel-Tank Draw

Distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, the 2013 Sazerac 18 represents the legendary 1985 vintage. Tanked in stainless steel since 2003, this release captures a historic moment in Kentucky straight rye heritage.

Nº 03

Craftsmanship & Cask Architecture

1985 Distillation & 2003 Stainless Tanking

1985 Vintage Distillate

Ancestral Rye Mash

Distilled in spring 1985 from a recipe of rye, corn, and malted barley, capturing historic Kentucky distilling architecture.

Stainless Steel Preservation

2003 Maturation Lock

Matured 18 years in oak before being transferred to stainless steel tanks in 2003, perfectly halting wood extraction for over a decade.

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-citrus top notes.

New White Oak

Heavy Char Cooperage

Aged across 18 summers in new charred American white oak barrels before entering the stainless steel preservation tanks.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distillery & Reviewer Tasting Notes

Sensory Profile

Nose: Buffalo Trace's own 2013 description is mellow spice over vanilla sweetness with mint; reviewers of this release added citrus and cinnamon in front, with older oak and caramel behind.
Palate: Dry and sweet rather than sharp, carrying vanilla, maple, citrus, burnt sugar, and a light applesauce note; wood smoke arrives late.
Finish: Dry — the distillery's own word for it — and long, with wood, fruit, and spice holding together as they fade, and dark molasses coming in at the end.

Strategic Position

Every tanked-era Sazerac 18 pours from the same 1985 rye, so the 2013 is a fresh draw on fixed stock rather than a new whiskey. Set it beside the 90-proof Eagle Rare 17 that year and the six-year Handy rye from the same fall within Midnight Whiskey's vault.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault Provenance

→

Steel-Tank Era Benchmark

The 2013 draw sits near the end of the tank's run. Buyers tracking that changeover read 2013, the steel-tank 2014 Sazerac 18, and 2015 as the closing sequence of the 1985 vatting.

→

Rye Whiskey Vault Context

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

Collector IndexSAZ18 2013 DRAW

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Series Position: 2013 BTAC Allocation (Tanked Stock)
Category: Kentucky Straight Rye
Proof / ABV: 90 Proof (45.0% ABV)
Age Statement: 18 Years in Oak (Distilled 1985)
Format: 750 mL

Explore the rye whiskey collection this Sazerac 18 Year 2013 belongs to.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
PRODUCER / DISTILLERY	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky (Sazerac Company)
COLLECTION	2013 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC)
CATEGORY	Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
AGE STATEMENT	18 Years in Oak (Distilled Spring 1985, Tanked 2003, Bottled 2013)
PROOF / ABV	90 Proof / 45.0% ABV
FILTRATION	Chill Filtered
MASH BILL	Buffalo Trace Rye Recipe (Rye, Corn, Malted Barley)
MATURATION HALTED	2003 (Transferred to Stainless Steel Tanks)
REGION	Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
FORMAT	750 mL
SKU	088004140045-13

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Buffalo Trace distilled this rye in the spring of 1985 from its rye recipe of rye, corn and malted barley, and matured it in oak in Warehouse K for eighteen years. In 2003 the remaining barrels were emptied into stainless steel tanks, which ended wood contact and fixed the whiskey at its 18-year age statement; every Antique Collection Sazerac 18 from that point through 2015 was drawn from the same reserve. The 2013 bottling was cut to the line's standard 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

Is the 2013 Sazerac 18 from the tanked stock?

Yes. The 2013 Sazerac 18 was distilled at Buffalo Trace in the spring of 1985, matured eighteen years in oak, and moved into stainless steel tanks in 2003 to stop further aging. Buffalo Trace drew every Antique Collection Sazerac 18 from that reserve through the 2015 release.

How old is the 2013 Sazerac 18 really?

The 2013 Sazerac 18 carries eighteen years of barrel aging. It was distilled in the spring of 1985 and bottled in the fall of 2013, so twenty-eight calendar years had passed — but the decade in stainless steel added no wood age, which is why the age statement stays at 18 years.

Is the 2013 Sazerac 18 the same whiskey as the 2014 and 2015 releases?

Effectively yes. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Sazerac 18 bottlings were all drawn from the same stainless steel tanks holding the 1985 rye, and all three were bottled at 90 proof. Buffalo Trace confirmed the 2015 release as the last of that steel-tank batch, after which Sazerac 18 moved to newly distilled, barrel-aged stock.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Buffalo Trace Distillery · Sazerac 18 Year (2013 Draw)

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Sazerac Rye

The Elemental Distinction

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage