Thomas H. Handy 2022 Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

Introduction

Whiskey: Thomas H. Handy 2022 Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

Full of rich flavors, this authentic American rye whiskey is a symbol of the timeless history of New Orleans and the legacy of Thomas H. Handy.

Order from the Largest & Most Trusted Premium Spirits Marketplace!

Featured in

• ROLLING STONE
• MEN’S JOURNAL
• US WEEKLY

ALL ORDERS PLACED ARE GUARANTEED and WILL NOT be cancelled like with other retailers. Many other small liquor store sites will end up cancelling your order due to the high demand and unavailability.

Size: 750ML

Proof: 125.7 (62.85%ABV)

Origin: United States

Distillery: Thomas H.

Named after the New Orleans bartender who first used rye whiskey in the Sazerac Cocktail, this uncut and unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey is bottled directly from the barrel, just as it was over a century ago. Full of rich flavors, this authentic American rye whiskey is a symbol of the timeless history of New Orleans and the legacy of Thomas H. Handy.

Thomas H. Handy 2022 Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Tasting Notes

Nose: Big League Chew bubble gum, Cinnamon spice, Raisin, Fennel, Orange zest, Bold

Palate: Powerful, lush, and boldly spicy. Flavors of toffee, fig cake, and candied fruit, followed by mint, cinnamon and clove.

Finish: The finish ultimately reveals subtle notes of allspice, coconut and nutmeg. Long and warm.

Distillery Information

It is impossible to tell the story of Thomas H. Handy, or Sazerac Rye Whiskey, without telling the development of the famous Sazerac Cocktail. Antoine Peychaud (1803-1883) was a pharmacist and owned an apothecary on Royal Street, in the French Quarters in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the creator of the now-famous Peychaud’s Bitters and is often credited with inventing America’s first cocktail. This cocktail would undergo many changes, adaptations, and transportations before being eventually known as The Sazerac. In the United States, the coffee shop had replaced the saloon as the drinking environment of choice. Nowhere was this more clear than in New Orleans. The most popular and largest coffee shop at the time was the Merchants Exchange Coffee House. Built-in 1836, the Merchant Exchange was located in the French Quarter on Royal Street, with a back door entrance on Exchange Alley. The establishment was owned by a spirits importer and wholesaler named Sewell Taylor (1812-1861). Taylor, being a shrewd businessman, only sold his imported products at the Exchange. One of his most popular products was a Cognac called Sazerac de Forge et Fils. The Merchants Exchange only sold one cocktail, which used Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac and Peychaud’s Bitters. Taylor’s lease was not renewed in 1849, and he sold the business to Aaron Bird (1793-1864), then opened up a spirits retail shop on Royal Street. In 1952, Bird changed the name to the Sazerac Coffee House to further promote their primary drink. In 1860, shortly after his death, Bird passed the Sazerac Coffee House’s operation to J.B. Schiller, who was a local importer of Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac. Schiller ran the Sazerac Coffee House until 1869 and will be remembered for two crucial business decisions. He expanded the business’s size to include the unit next door, and he hired a young sales clerk named Thomas H. Handy (1839-1893). Previously, Handy had been working at Taylor’s retail spirits shop on Royal Street. In 1865, Handy began working at the Sazerac Coffee House, and in 1869, he, along with several other employees, purchased the business from Schiller, who was in poor health and soon passed away. Finally, in 1873, the new Thomas H. Handy & Co. becomes the sole importer in New Orleans for Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac. A few years later, though, Handy loses most of his money in lousy railroad investments, which forced him to dissolve his company before he was eventually bought out in 1878 by a man named Vicent Micas. Micas became the Sazerac House owner, sole importer for Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac, and Peychaud’s Bitters owner.