A new, boozier brother to its classic 90 proof bottling, this punchier, richer expression of Sazerac Rye is Buffalo Trace distillery’s newest and greatest gift to cocktails. Designed with bartenders and classic cocktails like the Sazerac (duh), the Manhattan, and the Old Fashioned in mind, the higher proof translates to a more full charactered rye whiskey with notes of fruit and spice that make it an ideal base for drinks, without getting buried.

On the nose, it is much more rye-y than the 90-proof counterpart, with assertive spice, clove, mint, and pepper greeting you alongside the softer elements like orange peel and glazed doughnuts. The palate shows more of the orange signature, alongside stone fruits like apricot. Rye spice is accompanied by rich vanilla cream, with a fullness that, though it may be geared toward cocktailing, also make it a more appealing sipper than “Normal Saz”.