Review by: The Muskox

It’s been nearly three years since I moved to Baltimore and I haven’t reviewed a Sagamore yet. I’d better get moving before the authorities confiscate my Old Bay, Orioles hat, and lemon sticks.

This one sees two maturations in new oak, the second being in a “wave-stave” barrel that gives higher interior surface area than a normal barrel.

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Distillery: Sagamore.

Region/Style: USA / Maryland / Blend of straight ryes.

ABV: 48.3% (96.6 proof).

Mash Bill: A blend of a high rye mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, and a low-rye mash bill of 52% rye, 42% corn, and 5% malted barley.

Age: 5.5-6.5 years.

Cask type: High-char new oak for the first 4 to 5 years, then finished for 18 months in low-char medium-toast wave-stave barrels. My bottle is #0153 from batch 8AP.

Price: $59 locally (i.e. from the distillery).

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Nose: Sweet and rich. Browned butter, brown sugar, vanilla, dates, and cherries. Lots of toasty oak, of course. Lemon peel. The rye spice is fairly mild at first but builds over the course of the glass – dill, mint, clove, and coriander.

Palate: Medium body. Arrives with bittersweet citrus and brown sugar. Develops very creamy with rich toasted flavours. Oak and vanilla cream. The rye spice is present takes a bit of a back seat here compared to the nose.

Finish: Medium-length. Rich oak. Toasted coconut and burnt marshmallow. The rye returns here with mint, clove, and black pepper, leaving lingering herbalness as the oak fades.

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Conclusion: This is good! I like the balance – this isn’t a rye monster or an oak monster, and there’s enough sweetness here to make this extremely drinkable without being at all cloying. There isn’t any groundbreaking complexity here I don’t think, but I’ll probably buy this the next time I need some rye. In fact, I think I’m going to have to haul some of my friends down to the distillery for a tour.

Final Score: 80.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.