A little background

Sagamore Spirit is located in Baltimore, Maryland and is a Maryland Style Rye Whiskey that currently obtains their product from MGP in Indiana. MGP distills two mash bills for Sagamore. The first is a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mash bill while the second is a 52% rye, 43% corn, and 5% malted barley mash bill. The whiskey is known for the Sagamore Farm spring water that is added to their offerings to give them a distinct flavor. Their offerings are blends of the two mash bills and are therefore considered small batch.

Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey is bottled at 83 proof, retails for $39 USD, and is aged 4 to 5 years. The distillery also does “Distiller’s Select” releases multiple times a year where they toy with different finishing projects. The brand does plan to release whiskey made from their own distillate in the future which they call “Penny’s Proof.”

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Honey

Nose

Clove, a light rye spice, orange zest, a touch of oak, vanilla, mint, and some additional baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.

Palate

The transition from the nose to the palate is nice, and the whiskey has a light but refreshing mouthfeel. I still get the clove, orange, oak, vanilla, and mint from the nose but also start to pick up some fresh orchard fruits and some floral notes like rose and lily.

Finish

The finish is short, but the rye spice, baking spices, and floral notes really shine making you want to take another sip.

In closing

Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey is a really tasty and refreshing rye whiskey that is not overly complex but is very easy to drink. I think this would be a great sipper by the pool or go really well in s whiskey ginger or with a splash of soda. Overall, this is a rye whiskey that I would purchase for my bar. While it does have a $39 price point at 83 proof, the whiskey stands up to that price point in my opinion.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Sagamore Spirits. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.