Sagamore Rye is bottled in Maryland. They have a distillery and make rye whiskey there, but they also source barrels from Indiana. They are blending the two whiskeys together to make their whiskey in most of their expressions, but I think this is good as the whiskey they are bottling is very good. This bottle is a blend of Maryland and Indiana rye whiskeys aged between four and seven years. I picked up a bottle of this whiskey the other day and Matt and I sat down to taste it. Here are our tasting notes.
Sagamore Cask Strength Rye Whiskey
Proof: 112.2
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, chocolate, apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, blackberries, cardamom, cedar and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, vanilla, chocolate, lemon zest, apricots, cinnamon and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the chocolate comes forward as a rich milk chocolate. Tasted with a pecan and black pepper spice comes out in the taste.
- Matt: Vanilla, blackberries, cedar and oak wood. The dried cranberry made the vanilla a rich caramel. The pecan made the flavor caramel, blackberries and peanut butter with oak wood.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, chocolate and cinnamon. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and richer. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak wood and black pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and blackberries. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with oak and caramel. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and peanut butter.
I would pair this fine rye whiskey with a NUB Maduro cigar. I think the rich vanilla and cedar spice in the smoke would pair well with the sweetness and spiciness of the rye whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller