Episode 11: Sagamore Spirit Rye Cask Strength

The Pot Still Column: Episode 11

Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Rye

Proof: 112.2

Age: 4+ Years

Finish: None

Source: MGP (Lawrenceburg, Indiana) sourced by Sagamore Spirit Distillery (Baltimore, Maryland)

Price: $28.99 (375ml)

The first time I ever tried Sagamore Spirit Rye was at a holiday party for work. My first impression came in the form of several hefty Solo Cup pours of Sagamore Spirit's Double Oak Rye, and I remember nothing of it. So, cheers to second first impressions.

Sagamore Spirit, founded in 2013, is an MGP-sourced producer of rye whiskey located in Baltimore, Maryland. Like many distilleries in recent years, Sagamore Spirit embraced sourcing from bigger brands such as MGP as its ticket to success early on, allowing it to establish its presence in the whiskey market as it prepared to begin its own distillation. The company's claim to fame has been the incorporation of its Maryland spring water into the sourced whiskey blends, a factor that supposedly makes the otherwise generic whiskey more its own (*eye roll*). As of 2017, Sagamore Spirit has begun in-house distillation, marking the start of a long-term plan to shift away from sourced products and breath true life into the Maryland whiskey scene. Press releases have suggested that the distillery plans on fully transitioning to homemade distillate in the next few years as its first batches come of age.

Sagamore Spirit's core collection of ryes includes their signature rye, bottled in bond, double oak, and cask strength, most of which can be found with relative ease in the states to which the company distributes. While the distillery does have a single barrel program that occasionally produces private picks, the brand is better known for its core offerings, all of which are blended in undisclosed proportions from MGP rye mashbills. The primary MGP rye mashbills are 95/5 rye to barley, 51/49 rye to barley, and 51/45/4 rye to corn to barley.

I've let the whiskey sit in a glencairn for about 15 minutes while writing the intro, and the scent rising from the glass has been teasing me the whole time. My experience with MGP rye is less thorough than it is with MGP bourbon, but the nose on this Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength is giving me a very positive reintroduction to this side of the distillery. The rye is extremely caramel forward, making it an easy pickup for bourbon lovers. Ethanol is present, but it isn't unpleasant or overpowering, and I wouldn't call it an important part of the overall profile. There are some very light grassy green notes that mark it as a rye, and a robust saltiness that upgrades the caramel to salted caramel. Something fruity lingers in the nose as well, reminding me of the acidic quality of the juice from a freshly cut plum. When I say plum, I do not at all mean the faux-plum or dried plum note associated with some scotches, but the fresh, crisp juice of a slightly under ripe fruit. I get no dill, but there is an abstract, spicy herbal note.

The first sip reminds me that this is a cask strength rye. Full-bodied and full-flavored, it settles pointedly on the very center of the tongue, the majority of the flavors occupying a square centimeter of space with great intensity. While whiskey spreads itself across the entire palate at first, it seems to recede into the center of the tongue like water down a drain, leaving a concentrated tingly sensation. The ethanol makes itself more fully known in the flavor, forcing a cleansing breath out of the drinker at every swallow. A little bit of barrel char shows up on the back end of each sip, and the char persists into the oaky finish. The finish itself is on the shorter side, although it disappears cleanly, not vanishing in disorganized layers as it often the case.

Closing Impression:

I am struggling to describe the experience of this rye with the detail it deserves. Many of the flavors present seem to exist exclusively in whiskey, making it difficult to provide a non-whiskey comparison. The best I can do is ask one to imagine other MGP ryes that one may have tried, most of which are caramel-forward and bourbonesque.

Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength is quite good, not providing any reason for disappointment but not breaking any boundaries either. The presentation on the palate is the most unique aspect of the rye, and I can still feel the concentrated burn of the whiskey on the small space in the center of my tongue. The astringent finish that proceeds the initial presentation detracts from the overall experience. The overall profile is caramel-forward and oaky, making it a fantastic rye for anybody who prefers bourbon. The ethanol presence is a little too heavy for my taste, a fault for which the youth of the whiskey is probably responsible. The entire experience is rough around the edges, making me wish that the blenders had waited a few more years to bottle this.

Nose: 85/100

Taste: 81/100

Finish: 66/100

Overall: 77/100