Buffalo Hint Provides a 100-Proof Sazerac Rye to Its Lineup

Cocktail fans, take notice: One in every of America’s most famous rye whiskeys now incorporates a new, higher-proof model explicitly designed for mixology. 

Earlier this month, Kentucky-based Buffalo Hint Distillery launched a 100-proof model of Sazerac Rye. It’s a brand new line extension that enhances the usual (90 proof) Sazerac Rye and the extremely restricted Sazerac Rye 18 12 months Outdated (a part of the Buffalo Hint Vintage Assortment). By growing the alcohol content material from 45% to 50% ABV, Buffalo Hint goals to enchantment to each skilled and at-home mixologists in search of to craft cocktails with a stronger kick.

“Sazerac Rye 100 Proof was crafted particularly with bartenders and cocktail fans in thoughts,” says Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Hint’s grasp distiller, in a press assertion. “With the renewed curiosity in traditional cocktails that depend on a rye whiskey base, we targeted on making certain this higher-proof spirit delivers complexity and construction with out shedding its signature profile.”

The most recent model of Sazerac Rye makes use of the identical mash invoice as its counterparts within the vary. Whereas Buffalo Hint doesn’t reveal its actual mash payments, it’s considered a “low-rye” recipe with near the authorized minimal quantity of the namesake grain, together with a comparatively excessive share of corn. In business parlance, that is also known as a “Kentucky model” rye whiskey. 

Whereas neither the 90 nor the 100-proof variations of Sazerac Rye characteristic age statements, we all know they’re at the very least 4 years previous. It’s usually believed that a lot of the whiskey used is significantly older, nearer to the six-year vary.

Buffalo Hint claims the newer, stronger rye affords “enhanced taste, versatility and management in cocktail creation” and performs noticeably higher in a wide range of cocktails. This consists of the traditional Sazerac cocktail, which accommodates sugar, water, bitters, absinthe or Herbsaint, and both rye whiskey or cognac as the bottom. When discussing the expanded Sazerac line, the corporate particularly cites rye’s Twenty first-century resurgence as a part of America’s craft cocktail motion.

“Because the whiskey of America’s first cocktail, Sazerac Rye has performed a central position in rye whiskey’s resurgence,” says Andrew Duncan, Buffalo Hint’s international model director. “Bartenders have more and more embraced 100 proof ryes for the stability, energy, and flexibility they supply.”

Firm tasting notes for each the 90-proof and 100-proof Sazerac Ryes are related. Clove, vanilla, anise, and pepper dominate the nostril. The palate options “candied spices and citrus, resulting in a easy end with hints of licorice.”

Sazerac Rye 100 Proof started transport to bars, eating places, and shops in early July 2025. The preliminary rollout targets a number of choose markets, with an MSRP of $30 for a 1-liter bottle. The marginally bigger bottle measurement is typical for merchandise geared toward bartenders. Moreover, the 100-proof rye will probably be out there by the Sazerac Barrel Choose program, permitting qualifying accounts the chance to pick particular person barrels of whiskey.