Sagamore Spirit Distiller's Select Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Armagnac Casks

VITALS:

- $80

- 113 Proof

- 4 years

- Finished 3 years, 1 month

- Indiana

This is one of those bottles that somehow went under the radar at least among the social media community of bourbon lovers/chasers.  That said, among my personal group of bourbon-loving friends, everyone who has tried this bottle has loved this bottle, has purchased their own bottle, and in a few cases, purchased multiple backups. 

This is a 4 year MGP rye that Sagamore then finished in Armagnac barrels. Now, that in and of itself is not novel or any reason to bat an eye. What's unique about this rye is the incredible length of time that it sat finishing in those Armagnac barrels. Usually I see barrels finished for anywhere from 3 months to 9 months. This one, though, was finished for 3 years and 1 month! That's an incredibly long finishing period, but here, it paid off!!

The nose was full of rich notes of molasses and raisin and dates. It also had a bread-like note to it, as well as an earthy, nutty note to it. It kind of reminded me of pecan pie (a must have at any Thanksgiving meal in my household).  There was also a light cinnamon spice to it, telling me that the rye wasn't completely buried by the Armagnac finish, and was still able to stand up on its own.

The Armagnac finish was immediately noticeable from the first sip. That influence was strong, but not overly done by any means. It was just as nutty and rich as the nose would indicate. I got the figs and raisins that I got off the nose, along with that nutty note. In a way it reminded me of bread pudding.

I also got that pecan pie note that I got off the nose. However, the sweet element wasn't so much of a molasses note, but rather sweet honey and caramel. Again, I feel like this is where the rye still held its own despite the extra-long finishing period. It even had a graham cracker flavor to complement those sweet notes and really round out that pecan pie note.

There was also the lightest salinity that I noticed, and when paired with the rich raisin and fig notes, reminded me a bit of bacon-wrapped dates. It sounds weird, but if you've ever had bacon wrapped dates, they have a sweet and rich and salty quality to them that makes for an amazing appetizer. As weird as it seems, I got a bit of that here, and it was delicious!

This rye also had a nice, oily texture which provided for a long finish that coated my mouth in those same rich, dark fruit notes. The fig and raisin was there, but there was also a sort of bright and flavorful blackberry note that came through. That was complemented by that cinnamon spice in a way that had me diving back for each next sip.

I wish I had been wise and purchased as many bottles of this stuff as I could. Unfortunately I'm not finding it anywhere any more. This was fantastic, and that extra long finishing did everything right by what was likely a very solid MGP rye to begin with.

Grade: A+

Scotch Malt Whiskey Society Black Oak 8 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $95

- 100 Proof

- 8 years

- Speyside

For the past year I've enjoyed a membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a Christmas present I received last year. Well, "enjoyed" might not be the right word, as I actually haven't really purchased much through them. I find the bottles are certainly on the higher end from a price standpoint, shipping is also expensive, and each bottle seems to take forever to ship. So I really haven't taken advantage of the membership like I thought I would.

However, I did jump at the opportunity to purchase this particular bottle when it came around. While the distillery isn't disclosed, this is an 8 year Speyside single malt that was aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels, and then "married" in Gascon black oak barrels that formally held Armagnac. I can't say I've had an Armagnac finished Scotch before, which is primarily what compelled me to purchase this particular bottle.

The nose was full of rich brown sugar and baking spices. It had a bit of nutmeg and a light not of cinnamon to it. There was a healthy amount of sweet tobacco leaf that seemed to pair with a candied orange note that I really enjoyed.  There was something else, though, that was bright and crisp but odd and out of place. It was a sort of melon note that was fleeting but kept coming back.

As to flavor, my first note was that it wasn't strong in flavor at all.  It was subtle and delicate. Given that my only experience with Armagnac finishes has been finished bourbons or ryes, I attributed it to that more than anything. But, I did wish I got more of the Armagnac influence than I did. That was what I came for, after all, but it just wasn't there. 

This whisky did have some bright notes of peach and pear, and later on I was getting delicious notes of apricot. This was all layered over a light brown sugar sweetness as well as a honey note. In fact, I even got a bit of orange marmalade at times.

In addition to those brighter, sweet fruit notes, I got something bready, almost like a spice cake. That, paired with the fruit notes, gave it a sort of baked peach flavor as well. It was rich, sweet and spicy all at once.  

However, it remained light and subtle in flavor, and I wished these flavors were a bit more bold. That would have provided for a bit more complexity.  I also wished that the Armagnac influence were more present. That is really where this one disappointed a bit.

Grade: B-

High West Double Rye! Binny's Barrel Select Armagnac Finished Blended Rye

VITALS:
- $45
- 102.6 Proof
- NAS
- Finished 1 yr., 8 mos.
- Barrel #112653
- Utah

I feel like it's been a while since I've seen bottles of High West Barrel Select, but when they do appear they seem to always do so in groups. Recently, Binny's got in a bunch of different barrel finishes, including bourbons and/or ryes finished in Syrah, brandy and Scotch barrels. What intrigued me most, however, was this particular bottle, finished in Armagnac barrels for over a year and a half.

I've recently had the pleasure of enjoying some well-aged Armagnacs, and I very much found them to my liking. I have no idea what barrels were used for aging this rye, but if that Armagnac tasted anything even close to what I tried, then the result of the aging should be pretty incredible.

The nose smelled like candied pear and baked apple. It had that crisp, fleshy fruit flavor, but also had that cooked brown sugar note as well. It smelled like a rich, decadent dessert.  This tells me that the Armagnac really influenced the whiskey, so I was already looking forward to tasting it. I also got some cinnamon and even a bit of pecan to balance the sweetness and to add just a touch of earthiness and even a light bitterness to round things out.  I could have sat there sniffing this whiskey forever.

The flavor really followed suit with the nose. I immediately got that strong pear note, along with the brown sugar. That sweet fruitiness was constant from the first pour to the last and definitely dominated. However, the rye spice wasn't overwhelmed. A spicy cinnamon note was also present from front to back and from first pour to last. The combination was a rich, dessert like cooked pear flavor that was so inviting.

In addition to those note, I also got a white wine note throughout. However, it wasn't like a sauvignon blanc, but was sweeter, like a Gewurztraminer or Riesling. It was definitely white-grapey, though.  That sweetness was a bit tampered by the tannins that came through as well, really driving home that wine note that I was getting.

Towards the end I found myself picking up other, unique notes. At times I got a dried apricot note that was a bit fleeting and I wished were more prominent, because it was delicious while it was there.  I also got a bit of a tangy note, kind of like an amaretto liqueur, out of the later pours. This just added to that baked, candied pear flavor that I was getting throughout.

I was so happy to find these again, and I was very excited to try something new, and this absolutely did it for me. Not only was it something different, but it absolutely delivered on flavor. I only wish I had more!

Grade: A