Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey 2024

Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey 2024

The nose kicks things off with lots of sweet oak, barrel char, menthol, dusted dark cocoa, and pine sap. A series of spices is up next, and in quick succession: cinnamon sticks, baked cloves, szechuan peppercorns, cardamom pods, and finally, some barely-there star anise. When it comes to Thomas H. Handy, from one year’s batch to the next, I usually smell Chinese five-spice powder; 2024 certainly continues that trend.

Scents soon shift to fruit and some green, herbal notes. Lemon oil pairs with light bermuda grass, both of which are enhanced by some continued menthol that stretches from a first sniff all the way through, even as oak notes fall slightly by the wayside.

The nose already primed me for cinnamon, but it stands even more at first sip, coupled with a truly hefty dose of dried sandalwood. Clove and black pepper are also present and accounted for. Some of the other spiced elements from the nose — cardamom, anise — are largely gone, as are those green, grassier notes.

The oak is more toasted stave than barrel char, and when it comes to whiskeys aged in American oak, this year’s Handy might be the best example of “wood spice” I’ve tasted in some time. And that’s carried by a noteworthy, viscous mouthfeel, one factor Handy rye continues to knock out of the park.

The 2023 Thomas H. Handy featured a lovely, molasses-adjacent final act. But 2024 is a different beast, really continuing those punchy wood spices straight on through. It’s unapologetic and unwavering in its profile. Even with a few drops of dilution (always fun to try with these releases), the rye whiskey is cinnamon-meets-toasted wood shavings almost all the way down.