Corazon de Agave Expresiones 'Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Barrels' Tequila Anejo 750ml

Corazon Expresiones Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Anejo is part of the Buffalo Trace barrel-aged tequila series from Corazon de Agave. The 2019 release - the fifth in the Expresiones lineup - rests Casa San Matias' Highland anejo tequila for 19 months in barrels that previously held Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, the uncut, unfiltered, barrel-proof rye in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Bottled at 80 proof / 40% ABV with a 100% Blue Weber agave mash.

Expresiones del Corazon is a collaboration between Corazon Tequila and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Buffalo Trace empties barrels from its most allocated American whiskey programs - including the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection - and ships the freshly emptied casks to Casa San Matias in Acatic, Los Altos de Jalisco. Corazon fills each barrel with its Highland Jalisco anejo or reposado tequila and rests the spirit in the residual whiskey compounds that have soaked into the wood through years of prior maturation. The filled barrels are stored in the first row of the aging facility - the level with the most controlled airflow - and tasted every two months until the desired character is reached.

Corazon Tequila is distilled at Casa San Matias, Mexico's fourth-oldest tequila distillery (NOM 1103), with more than 130 years of continuous production. The base tequila is 100% Highland Blue Weber agave, slow-cooked in traditional stone ovens, then pressed, fermented, and copper-pot-still distilled.

The Thomas H. Handy Sazerac donor barrels held one of the most allocated American ryes on the market - typically 6 years old and 125+ proof - before being emptied for Corazon. The combination of unfiltered high-proof rye character and the residual barrel sugars gives Corazon Expresiones Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Anejo an intensity that other rye-finished releases in the series do not quite match. Named for the 19th-century New Orleans bartender credited with popularizing the Sazerac, the donor label gives this release its long branding through the Sazerac Company.

On the nose, it shows cooked agave layered with rye spice, oak, and dried fruit. The palate brings agave sweetness wrapped in baking spice, dark caramel, and a pronounced rye-bread character, and the finish carries a long, peppery close.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 80 (40% ABV)
• Age: 19 Months in Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye barrels
• Category: Anejo
• Release: 2019 - fifth release in the Expresiones del Corazon series
• Origin: Acatic, Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico
• Distillery: Casa San Matias (NOM 1103)
• Donor Barrels: Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection)