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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