Sagamore Spirit 8 Year Straight Rye (2023 Release)

A lot of good things going on here; poppyseed muffin, blueberry, black pepper, lemongrass, rye spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, leather, and citrus. Ethanol is low but not non-existent. Complex and inviting. The palate offers the muffin and blueberry from the nose, cinnamon sugar dusted snickerdoodle cookie, super sweet oak, clove, white pepper, cola, and dark chocolate. Extremely well integrated, robust, and balanced flavors. Finish is on the long side of medium and features toasted marshmallow, chocolate mint, burnt sugar, white pepper, cinnamon toast, and tobacco leaf. Mouthfeel is exceptional; extremely thick and velvety for a rye and also at the same time effervescent and tingly, elevating this to a whole other level. Phenomenal. As an aside, I recently brought this to a whiskey tasting with about 10 other bourbons/scotches and everyone agreed this stole the show. The fact that this is mostly available and not allocated proves the whole “whiskey tater” stereotype because one would be hard pressed to find a better rye. At $80, this is an absolute steal. 6 out of 5. Wait scratch that, it’s terrible. Hard avoid. Leave more for me. (lol)

Hands down one of the best Ryes out there—and very likely the best rye under $80. NOSE: Right out of the gate, the nose reminded me of very old and much pricer ryes (e.g, Thomas H. Handy, Willett green tops, etc.). It’s weird to say, but you can almost smell the viscocity on the nose here. Aromas of toffee, baking spice, and barrel char leap out of the glass. Might just be the best nose on any rye i’ve had. Seriously. PALATE: Very lucious and viscous mouthfeel upfront, ushering along notes of caramel, toffee, and classic rye spice. While i mostly enjoy Sagamore’s house style, I sometimes get an unpleasant taste that reminds me of an over-burnt incense candle. But here that flavor is completely absent, perhaps ironed out via extra aging. OVERALL: This is a must buy. My biggest regret is that i did not buy two bottles. It’s really that sensational. 4.75/5

N: rye spice, vanilla, black cherry, clove P: cherry-vanilla crème bomb up front which persists underneath a perfect rye spice/oak/black tea flavor which extends through to the finish. F: Nice long rye spice, oak, clove/mint/tea goodness Nose, Palate, and Finish all top notch. Absolutely delicious, nectar of the gods level, haha. . The best rye I’ve had yet, quickly purchased a second bottle before supplies ran out. Really impressed with Sagamore.

Nose has blackberry, vanilla, caramel, leather and flowers on top of the rye. Count me in. The palate is round and smooth—apple, cinnamon and raisin bread join the flavors from the nose. Black pepper and clove make an appearance. A savory herbal note hovers in the background over plenty of charred wood. Long herbal spicy finish. Sophisticated. Excellent.

Batch 1A. I was excited about this and to try something with more age. It was a step up compared to the usual 3-4 year ryes. However it left me wanting more. More depth to the flavors, more intensity on the after taste, more spearmint or herbal notes on the nose. For the price, it was ok as an $80 bottle.

A rough and rambunctious rye. Nose is oak, garlic, cumin, baking spices, alcohol. Palette has a bit of the medicinal bitter oak vibe i dont love but this is a pretty interesting whiskey.