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+

Sagamore Spirit Binny's Barrel Select Single Barrel Straight Rye - Barrel No. 42

VITALS:
- $60

- 110 Proof

- 6 Years

- Barrel No. 42

- Indiana

I have been generally impressed with everything I've had so far from Sagamore Spirit.  I was a big fan of their Cask Strength Rye that I had a few months back. I've also had the pleasure of trying their Double Oak Rye, Manhattan Finished Rye (which I wasn't a huge fan of only because I don't really like Manhattans), and the Moscatel Finished Rye, and they were all really well done. In fact, I made it a point to purchase my own bottle of the Moscatel Finished Rye which I'll one day get around to reviewing here.

So when Binny's got a couple different single barrel picks from Sagamore in, there was no question I was grabbing one. Granted, this is MGP rye, but I figured (1) I love MGP rye; and (2) if they're willing to slap their label on it, there's a good chance it was going to be good. Plus, an almost barrel proof, 6-year single barrel MGP rye for $60 seemed like a pretty good deal in general.

The nose was actually somewhat unique and delicious. Of course I got the brown sugar and caramel that I expected. However, I didn't get those minty dill notes I've come to expect from MGP ryes. Rather, it had a nice, tangy and sweet peach tea note. It was almost a cooked peach note, which, with the brown sugar and caramel, smelled like an absolutely delicious dessert.

The flavor was full of sweet and rich caramel along with a nice, mouthwatering cinnamon spice. It was somewhere between natural cinnamon and cinnamon candy flavor. However, that base layer of cinnamon and caramel was complemented by other flavors in such a way that by the time I finished the bottle, I was left with the impression that this is one of the best whiskeys I've had in a long time.

To go with that caramel and cinnamon, I got notes of chocolate and cherry. IT was almost like a chocolate cherry cola, but with actual chocolate rather than chocolate syrup, and with real cherries rather than that fake cherry flavor. It was chocolate cherry cola, but so much better.

The proof allowed for a great mouthfeel that coated my mouth and the back of my throat with flavor that lasted forever. On the finish I got some sweet vanilla bean, almost creamy like vanilla bean ice cream. It also had a walnut note to it as well, and, of course, the sweet caramel and spicy cinnamon hung around for the finish as well.

I don't want to overstate things, but I absolutely LOVED this whiskey! It truly is one of my favorite whiskeys I've had in a long time, and while I went into it with decent expectations, I wasn't expecting anything quite this good. I may need to grab one more bottle of this if I can find it.

Grade: A+

Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $60

- 112.2 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No 10AA

- Maryland/Indiana

Sagamore Spirit is one of those brands that I've been seeing on the shelves for years now, that seems to have some interesting products, and which has received, for the most part, really positive reviews online. While it's been on my shortlist of products I've been wanting to try, I just never got around to grabbing a bottle off the shelf. I'm not really sure why, perhaps I just always found something else I wanted--a matter of priority.

Interestingly, though, after purchasing this bottle, I attended a bottle share at a local restaurant, and two Sagamore Spirit reps attended. So all of a sudden I was not only trying this cask strength rye, but I also got to sample their Double Oak Rye, their Muscatel Finished Rye and their Manhattan Finished Rye. This, however, was the only bottle that I purchased (and finished), so this is the only one that gets a review on here.

I got some of those traditional rye mint notes on the nose, as well as a bit of that dill note that I commonly associate with MGP ryes such as this. Of course, there was also a healthy dose of vanilla, but I also got some sweet, crackery notes as well as a decent amount of cinnamon spice. I have no idea as to the age of this rye, but it also had a certain dry, woody note on the nose.

On the first sip I got a healthy dose of cinnamon right up front. That was immediately followed by a number of sweet, dessert-like flavors, including notes of chocolate and vanilla, as well as a light honey sweetness.  I was immediately impressed by that balance of spicy and sweet right away, not to mention the boldness of the flavors. This was a punchy whiskey (which you want from a cask strength whiskey), but the flavors seemed all right on point.

It had a certain grainy or cereal note, but not necessarily a corn note as I so often get. Along with the honey note, I likened it to sort of a Honeycombs cereal flavor. 

The finish on this whiskey was outstanding. It had a nice, viscous texture that really coated the mouth and made for a nice, long finish that carried a nice, light black pepper spice. On top of that, though, was a bright citrus flavor, kind of like orange or nectarine. The mint carried as well to create this spicy yet citrusy and cooling flavor which, when mixed with the vanilla, all combined to make for a delicious mix!  

This was a fantastic bottle, and I still can't get over just how much I loved the finish on this. Compared to the other bottlings from Sagamore I got to try, this would certainly be my favorite (though perhaps those didn't get a fair shake). I did, however, really like the Double Oak as well, and I'm already eyeing the Cognac finish. Clearly I'll be picking up more Sagamore Spirit bottles down the road.

Grade: A-