Sazerac 18 Year 2023 Straight Rye

Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2023 Antique Collection)

Price

$1,599.95

✔ 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 (2023 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

18Y 5M

Oak Age

2004/05

Vintage

Kentucky

Region

Rye barreled from fall 2004 through spring 2005 went into the 2023 Sazerac 18 Year Old, a 90-proof (45% ABV) Kentucky straight rye aged in Buffalo Trace's Warehouses K, L and M and bottled at 18 years and 5 months. It was the lowest-proof bottle in the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection but not the oldest: that year's Eagle Rare 17 reached 19 years and 3 months.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

A fall-to-spring fill window: Buffalo Trace's 2023 release dates the fills from the fall of 2004 to the spring of 2005.

Outranked on age in its own year: The 2023 Eagle Rare 17, distilled in the spring of 2004, went into the bottle at 19 years and 3 months.

Lowest proof of the five: At 90 proof it sat 11 points under the 101-proof Eagle Rare 17 and far below the uncut trio's 124.9 to 135 proof.

Three-warehouse spread: Warehouses K, L and M held this release; the 2022 Sazerac 18 aged in K, M and P.

IWSC Gold Outstanding Winner: Honors include a Gold Outstanding medal at the 2024 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Nº 02

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage

Frankfort 2004/2005 Vintage Era

Distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, the 2023 Sazerac 18 represents the fall 2004 to spring 2005 distillation window. Aged for 18 years and 5 months across Warehouses K, L, and M, this release captures a refined milestone in Kentucky straight rye heritage.

Nº 03

Craftsmanship & Cask Architecture

2004/2005 Distillation & Warehouses K, L & M

2004/2005 Vintage Distillate

Minnesota Rye Mash

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

Warehouses K, L & M

18Y 5M Oak Maturation

Aged 18 years and 5 months across Warehouses K, L, and M, developing deep wood tannins and herbal spice 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 between fall 2004 and spring 2005.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distillery Tasting Notes

Sensory Profile

Nose: Dried orange peel, rye grain, clove, and sweet aromatic aniseed.
Palate: Cracked black pepper, vanilla custard, coriander, and warm maple syrup.
Finish: Long and structured; floral honey, sweet tobacco leaf, and refined oak char.

Strategic Position

In the Sazerac 18 vertical, the 2023 bottling sits between the 2022 Sazerac 18 aged in Warehouses K, M and P and the 2024 Sazerac 18 with its ripe-plum nose. Compare it directly with the 19-year-3-month Eagle Rare 17 from the same fall in Midnight Whiskey's vault.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault Provenance

→

IWSC Gold Outstanding Recipient

Awarded a Gold Outstanding medal at the 2024 International Wine and Spirits Competition, recognizing its exceptional structural balance.

→

Rye Whiskey Vault Context

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

Collector IndexSAZ18 2023 RELEASE

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Series Position: 2023 BTAC Allocation
Category: Kentucky Straight Rye
Proof / ABV: 90 Proof (45.0% ABV)
Age Statement: 18 Years 5 Months (Distilled 2004/05)
Format: 750 mL

Explore the rye whiskey collection this Sazerac 18 Year 2023 belongs to.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
PRODUCER / DISTILLERY	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky (Sazerac Company)
COLLECTION	2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC)
CATEGORY	Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
AGE STATEMENT	18 Years Old (18 Years 5 Months Actual; Distilled Fall 2004 – Spring 2005)
PROOF / ABV	90 Proof / 45.0% ABV
FILTRATION	Chill Filtered
MASH BILL	Buffalo Trace Rye Recipe (Minnesota Rye, Kentucky Corn, ND Malted Barley)
WAREHOUSE	Warehouses K, L & M
REGION	Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
FORMAT	750 mL
SKU	088004140045-23

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Sazerac 18 comes off Buffalo Trace's stills in Frankfort, Kentucky, from the distillery's straight rye mash bill, with rye as its large grain and corn and malted barley completing the recipe. The whiskey matured in new charred oak, as Kentucky straight rye requires. For 2023, Buffalo Trace drew on barrels filled from the fall of 2004 through the spring of 2005, held in Warehouses K, L and M, and reduced the whiskey to 90 proof ahead of bottling it at 18 years and 5 months.

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 long was the 2023 Sazerac 18 aged?

The 2023 Sazerac 18 was 18 years and 5 months old at bottling, above the 18-year minimum on its label. Its barrels were filled from the fall of 2004 into the spring of 2005 and aged in Buffalo Trace's Warehouses K, L and M in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Was the 2023 Sazerac 18 the oldest whiskey in the 2023 Antique Collection?

No. The 2023 Eagle Rare 17, distilled in the spring of 2004 and bottled at 19 years and 3 months, was older; Buffalo Trace's 2023 announcement called it the oldest Eagle Rare 17 in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection's history. The 2023 Sazerac 18 came from barrels filled across fall 2004 and spring 2005 and was bottled at 18 years and 5 months.

What does the 2023 Sazerac 18 taste like?

Dried orange, rye grain, clove and aniseed lead Buffalo Trace's official nose for the 2023 Sazerac 18, with black pepper, vanilla and oak on the palate and floral honey and tobacco leaf on the finish. Buffalo Trace published them when it announced the 2023 Antique Collection in October 2023.

What proof is the 2023 Sazerac 18?

Buffalo Trace bottled the 2023 Sazerac 18 at 90 proof, or 45% ABV, and no other whiskey in the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection came in below 100 proof. The other four ran from Eagle Rare 17 at 101 proof to George T. Stagg at 135, with Thomas H. Handy Sazerac at 124.9 and William Larue Weller at 133.6.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Buffalo Trace Distillery · Sazerac 18 Year (2023 Release)

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Sazerac Rye

The Elemental Distinction

Buffalo Trace Distillery & Sazerac Heritage