For the second instalment of this series on Rye Whiskey, I am looking at another entry-level Rye made in the USA. Following my review of the Redwood Empire Emerald Giant, today, I am going to review the Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey. Before I jump into the review, it is worth spending a few moments talking about the style of Rye made by Sagamore.
TL:DR: A low proof beginner Rye, easy going if a bit unexciting
Score: 5, Average in a good way
Maryland Style Rye
One of Sagamore’s selling points is the style of Rye it makes. Maryland Style Rye, one of the traditional American Rye styles. Today, this style is widely understood as a rye whisky made with a high corn percentage mashbill. The counterpart of high rye Bourbons, if you wish. It is a style of Rye whisky known for a balanced, mellow flavour profile – sweet, fruity and floral.
Sagamore, together with Leopold Borthers (based in Colorado) are the distilleries championing this style today. But, as it’s often the case in food and drink, while the tradition is based in history, its definition has been somewhat redefined.
Historical records don’t seem to support this definition of Maryland Rye as a high corn mashbill whiskey. Some documents seem to indicate that mashbills using 95% rye were not uncommon. The distillation process, including the (in)famous three chamber still, as well as the use of heritage rye varieties, might have played more of a role in creating a mellower Rye style than the use of corn. The Dram Devotees website has an in-depth article covering this, which is well worth the read.
Be as it may, let’s give some moder Maryland style whisky a try and let’s move on to the review of the Sagamore Spirit Rye.
Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whisky
Specs
Price paid: Gifted by a friend.
Batch: 11AA
ABV: 41.5%
Natural colour: likely but not stated
Non-chill filtered: N/A
Mashbill: a blend of two straight rye mash bills, aged 4 to 6 years in high-char American oak barrels, one high-rye and one low low-rye, both sourced from Indiana (so very likely MPG).
Tasting Notes
Colour: Rich amber. Sagamore does not provide any statement on the potential use of E150, but my US friends tell me that, unless stated, you should assume the colour is natural. I’ll take their word as the gospel.
Nose: The aromas are simple but bright and intense. Caramel, cinnamon and cloves, orange peel and a little mint. The nose does not change or evolve particularly, but neither does it lose potency, which is always a plus when dealing with a low ABV whisky.
Taste & Finish: Viscous but lacking some oomph texture-wise, then a bit oaky and tannic, verging into slightly bitter. Spices, caramel and some orange peel, and quite a bit of oak, which also means a vanilla hit.
The finish is the one thing that lets this down. Short, alcohol forward and oaky, though the aftertaste is better, bringing back those spices and caramel that I detected on the nose.
Score*: 5, Average in a good way
Sometimes I realise my own evolving taste makes me a bit more biased than I should be, be it positively or negatively, towards a whisky. I need to remind myself that I need to judge a whisky in the context of what it is. Personally, I would have probably enjoyed this more a couple of years back, before my taste started getting a bit jaded. I usually like my Rye whiskies to fight back, so to speak, with their character.
Today, it is not something I feel the need to reach for. But it does have its plus sides. I think it is a good choice for those wanting to explore Rye, without going into the more vegetal and spicy ryes. It is a competent whisky, if an unexciting one.- So this one will most likely end up in cocktails, where I am sure it will do a respectable job.
Last but not least, does this match the definition of Maryland-style Rye, even though it is a 100% Indiana-produced spirit? It would be nice, though, if Sagamore were more transparent about the mashbill, so we could immediately understand the type of spirit produced, rather than taking the Maryland style label at face value. But taste is what counts. If we follow the current definition of a balanced, mellow flavoured spirit, then it certainly does.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Interested in my take on a specific whisky style? Check the full Journey here and jump to the relevant Chapter.
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