Sagamore Spirit Distiller's Select Tequila Finish Rye

One of my favorite things (and I have a few of them), is to watch football and drink whisky with my dad, a ritual we established post-college when I moved out of my parents' house but still lived close enough to come back Sundays and do laundry. We're Eagles fans, which makes sense with us living in southeastern Pennsylvania, and if you're a fan of a rival team, let's save the arguments or insults for another forum because this is a spot to share our love of whisky, isn't it? Back to the subject at hand: my dad and I, for the past decade, generally drank single malt scotch. But then, tariffs were announced and prices started going up, and since my dad isn't a big fan of bourbon (doesn't like the corn sweetness), we decided to investigate the world of rye (where the sweetness is slightly less intense depending on the bottle), dabbling first with High West Double Rye and the standard Knob Creek Rye with a period of multiple bottles of Canadian Club 100% Rye and JP Wiser's Triple Barreled Rye, both of which were going for $11.99/bottle, before branching out to specialized bottlings like this one. Though this was an impulse buy for me, sort of. The expert ruling here of 82 conflicted with the 4.25 community ranking, and while the community here is 9 other users, reviews on alternate sites roused my curiosity. This is $69.99 in Fine Wine & Good Spirits shops, so that's a good chunk of change to me, but the whisky appreciators who like this one REALLY seem to like it, so why not have a go? After all, I like tequila, too. Kind of. And añejo is the tastiest tequila style, isn't it? Okay, so those last few statements are fraudulent. I don't know much about tequila at all, my preference being for whiskies. And if I can get a great tequila for $60 and a decent whisky for the same price, I'm going with the whisky every time. Still, from what I've read of Sagamore Spirits, they've done some interesting work with finishing, so I rolled the dice and purchased this bottle for the first 2021 Eagles preseason game vs. Pittsburgh. And...? It's delicious. That's the word I'd use to describe almost any whisky I'm strongly in favor of. Not be-all-end-all delicious. Not you'll-never-taste-anything-better delicious. Not last-word-in-rye delicious. But certainly if-it's-still-on-shelves-in-3-months-I'll-pick-up-another-bottle delicious. I love the mingling of agave and rye spice on the nose. The expert reviewer here isn't wrong in that the agave is overpowering the rye. It's strong with that unique honey-ish aroma that is agave syrup. But I'm not sure what's wrong with that when it's such a delectable scent. If I could get a Yankee Candle that smelled like this, I'd buy a case, which might speak to other issues I have, but this isn't the time or place for delving into that. The palate is more balanced between the two with the rye coming on stronger. As far as rye flavors go, it's got that hint of deli dill that comes through in Dickel Rye and Dad's Hat (and to a lesser extent in High West Double Rye), so if you like these, the Sagamore Spirits Tequila finish should do you right. The finish is medium in length with pepper and clove. It sticks around long enough to make you want more. Which is something I wish I could say for the Eagles' finish the night I popped this bottle open. They came out strong and dominated most of the first half with their starters and their second string (but still Super Bowl MVP; for the Baltimore Ravens, the city where Sagamore Spirits is based) quarterback Joe Flacco. Then they tested their second and third string players, as teams do in preseason, and blew it. But by then, my dad and I had turned it off, and he'd gone home. At least we had a solid whisky to see us through, and I have some exciting bottles planned for the regular season as well. Stay tuned... P.S. I should note, the following week (preseason against the Patriots), my dad brought over a Knob Creek Barrel Select Rye (115 Proof) I bought him for Father's day and the two of these, while different in flavor profile, held up well when tasted toe-to-toe. Later, I poured us each a bit of Old Overholt 114, and while I've enjoyed that whisky on its own (and will continue to do so), it didn't hold a candle to the night's other ryes (while the Overholt 114 has other things going for it like the $29.99 price tag, the flavor was simply less robust, but I suppose that's another review...).

I have to say I was a little skeptical on buying this. I hadn’t seen a rye finished in a tequila cask before, but an Instagram influencer went through some amazing tasting notes, and I said “what the heck!” Then I let this sit on my bar unopened. It sat their and looked at me as I kept passing it up, night after night. Now about this time of year, I’d purchased some Snute stainless glens to sip whiskeys by the pool. And at the time I had gushed over Barrell Seagrass. It just so happened that I was out of Seagrass, and was like “it’s summer, so let the tequila fly!” Well….let the rye-finished-in-a-tequila-cask fly! And so I did. And shared it with my guests. And a unanimous decision was made…this Sagamore Rye finished in a Tequila cask is so close to Barrell Seagrass that it’s uncanny! From the sweet nose, the light color, the “refreshing” feeling on the palette…it’s crazy how similar they are! Anyhoo…Seagrass fans will enjoy this! Totally understand it’s not everyones vibe…bit this reminds me of summer by the pool!

NOSE: Spice, banana peels, mango, herbal, citrus, grainy sweet, oak and I want to say there’s a touch of agave sweetness, but it’s so light it could be psychosomatic. Still, there’s a nice balance between sweet and rustic that even if the agave is imaginary here it’s still a pleasant experience. PALATE: Oak, spice, caramel, agave, honey, nuts, baking spice, mango, pepper and leather. There is a light tropical touch to it but on the whole, the Sagamore Reserve Tequila Finish palate is a bit more rustic with a very pronounced agave note floating through. Tasty. FINISH: Long -> Oka, baking spice, agave sweetness and tropical fruity sweetness fade.

A punchy whiskey that hits hard like a shot of tequila but quickly mellows out to a sweet finish. The spice and pop up front is a wonderful aspect of this interesting addition to the Sagamore lineup. Caramel and agave syrup are present, along with almost chili like light spice. The finish remains sweet with an herbal note. Very interesting.

Nose is honey, blueberry, vanilla toaster strudels. Taste definitely brings out thr tequila. Mellow throughout, missing the spice. Orange creamsicle. Medium finish with more citrus and mint.

Signature Rye in Anejo barrels. Light honeyed, citrus lime on palate. Really interesting and different pairing Paloma cocktail