Sagamore Spirit Distiller's Select Manhattan Finish Rye

Rating: 14/23 I've been curious about Sagamore Spirit for a while and this manhattan finish has my curiosity piqued even more. Since I'm in a rye reviewing groove, now seems to be the time to give it a try. N: Fruit and bold wood hit me immediately. It's a bit of red fruit with fragrant orange, a crisp rye spiciness, and a faint bit of a funkiness like vermouth. What immediately strikes me is that this seems like a more successful version of Whistlepig 15 because they both make me think of vermouth, but this is less aggressive in that direction. I really like that rich, full, new oak smell too. This comes across as complex, balanced, and reasonably mature. P: Quite sweet with a lot of red fruit (cherry) mixed with orange peel, that vermouth funky spiciness, and rye spice. There's a lot less of a rye flavor in here than I'd expected though. The complexity and balance are good, but it's sweeter and fruiter than I was expecting or would like. The underlying wine flavor of the vermouth comes out more toward the end of the palate. Although it is quite sweet, there is some dryness balancing it out. F: Syrupy cherry, sweet vermouth (with a bit of its spice remaining), bits of new oak here and there, and something resembling rye at points. On the long finish, the cherry syrup acquires a bit of a floral quality that I find somewhat cloying. - Conclusion - This is a fantastic cocktail. It turns out I was wrong in thinking that this would be less like a cocktail than Whistlepig 15 was, but it's at least more fun and is expressly marketing itself as having cocktail character. As a whiskey, how do I rate this though? Well, it's better than Whistlepig 15 (a 16, but barely). Although this is a bit more youthful in character, there is more balance and complexity going on outside of the vermouth here than there is in the Whistlepig, which is otherwise fairly flat and light. Beyond that, it gets difficult to judge. As a cocktail, this is excellent. How does it compare with something like Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17) though? That's a harder question. But side by side, I would absolutely take the Russell's Reserve. As best as I can judge, this is beaten by Pikesville (just shy of a 17), but fairly competitive with Whistlepig PiggyBack (a high 16), though probably not quite as good. It's also in the range of Michter's Rye (a high 15) and a bit better than Elijah Craig Rye (15). I think I have it pretty well narrowed down to a 16 here. As I finish my sample though, my opinion shifts. I'm now putting this well below Pikesville, more on the level of Elijah Craig Rye (a moderate 15)...up until this finish. By this point, the novelty has worn away. I could definitely believe that this was a cocktail - and specifically a manhattan based on the flavors I experienced. I had a vague idea that a manhattan had rye and vermouth, but I had to look up an actual recipe to know what all goes in one. The answer? The core is roughly 3:1 rye:sweet vermouth. For garnish, there is orange peel and a brandied cherry. The only ingredient I didn't pick up was the Angostura bitters. So in that regard, this is a great success. But with the novelty waning and that unpleasant long finish nagging at me, I find myself going from a 16 to a 15 to a 14. In the end, this is a good pseudo-cocktail, but it's weird as a whiskey. I wouldn't feel bad if I bought a bottle, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list. I haven't checked the price on this, but my guess is that it costs more than it would to buy a bottle of Pikesville and the other Manhattan ingredients, which is a much more appealing purchase. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this bizarre spirit with me!

Batch: 1A Bottle: 314 51.5% abv Being a true enjoyer of Manhattans (pretty much a weekly Sunday cocktail), I had to try this when I saw it while visiting the distillery while spending time in Baltimore. I have slowly become intrigued and become an appreciator of their brand. The Port finish was quite outstanding. Their newer finishes and experimentation is intriguing and a nice differentiator. There is a subtle sweetness to the nose of sweet vermouth that almost comes. As it continues to open, vanilla cream with maraschino cherries, honeydew, dill, cinnamon, cloves, wood char, leather and fresh cigar tobacco. There is a fair amount of heat packed by a 51.5% abv. The vermouth comes through quite distinctly. Angostura bitters (from mind over matter?) orange peel, Demerara sugar, white pepper, cloves. Wood char and oak tannins finish the pour. Hints of orange zest bitterness. Vanilla arises at the far finish all which lasts for a medium length of time. Over an ice cube, this formalizes into a chilled rye m Manhattan. The edginess is smoothed and the sweetness is enhanced. Not overblown and balances better with the spiciness. The finish is not as drying or as bitter. Overall, much improved with some ice. But just one or two cubes. I am a fan of Sagamore Spirit being a semi-resident to Maryland/Baltimore for the past eight years. I like what they are doing experimenting with different types finishes (Cognac, tequila, etc). This sips more of a cocktail than a standard rye. If you appreciate rye Manhattans you should enjoy this pour. Would I continually pay $70+ dollars for a Manhattan? No. Packed with a punch of aromas and flavors of an unabashedly Manhattan, this is a nice treat. [88/100][Tasted: 7/23/21]

Here is yet another example of the many different experimental finishes that is occurring all over many different whiskey brands with Sagamore trying out a Manhattan style finished rye. I used to give a hard pass on anything that was finished outside of port, sherry or red wine, but there have been some really interesting ones lately that have impressed and piqued my interest in trying some different finished whiskeys. A huge thank you to @Scott_E and @PBMichiganWolverine for the samples provided to find out if this is a winner or something to throw in the failed experiment data pile. The nose starts with a mix of cinnamon apple and cherry pie filling along with fronds of dill, graham cracker crust then comes barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with those apple and cherry pie fillings then comes some orange peel followed by chewing on more dill fronds of along with nutmeg, cloves, sage, highly drying oaky spice and medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with fruit by the foot, dill, orange peel, sage, cinnamon apples, dry oaky spice and cloves. This was an interesting experiment that starts with a pleasant balance of sweet, herbaceous and barrel spices on the nose, but the taste quickly gravitates from sweet fruit pie filling towards chewing a mouth full of freshly picked dill, sage leaves and playground wood chips that continues through the finish and ruins the experience for me. This experiment didn’t work for me neat or even on ice, but I’m grateful for the chance to try it and will be interested in trying some of Sagamore’s other experiments.

Nose - salted caramel, black cherry, chocolate, coffee, leather, grape, orange zest, bitter oak, brown sugar, vanilla, clove, mint, fennel, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - mint, caramel, vanilla, licorice, black cherry, clove, grape, leather, brown sugar, chocolate, licorice, orange, tannic oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium short with mint, chocolate, and cherry flavors. This smells like a rye with more cherry and chocolate notes than you usually find with the category. There’s also a subtle grape quality that hints at the brandy finish. The palate is sweet rye and evokes cherry chocolate chip ice cream. The finish is fairly short and definitely the worst part of the experience. It’s like a flat soda, borderline cloying with none of the vibrancy on the arrival and mid palate. Overall, this is par for the course with Sagamore for me. It’s decent, but priced higher than it’s worth with some significant flaws that hold it back from greatness. Thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. I’ll likely never drink something like this again, and will be sticking to my traditional Manhattans for the foreseeable future.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a real Manhattan...and by that, let me explain: I’ve had a pseudo-Manahattan made with the alcohol free Ritual whiskey, along with some grape juice, a few drops of bitters, and a spoon of sugar free agave syrup. So...yeah. Not a real Manhattan. Based on that, I shouldn’t judge of this is anything like a Manhattan or not. But, what I can say is that if offered blind, I’d not have guessed this was a rye. It’s more like a cocktail. It’s sweet, like ripe Michigan dark cherries, with some oranges and oak. The rye takes a back seat to the cherries. I don’t understand this. If a person wants to have a Manhattan, simply buy a low cost rye and the other components. This offers a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It’s okay and a decent pour, but not sure I see the purpose of its existence...

NOSE: Vermouth, cocktail cherries, copper, spice, leather, sugar and a touch of oak. Just so overwhelmingly sweet. It smells like a pre-made cocktail, as good, high quality, pre-made cocktail, but a cocktail nonetheless. PALATE: Vermouth, cocktail cherries, copper, spice, orange peels, angostura, leather, sugar and a touch of oak. If you handed me a glass of this Sagamore Reserve Manhattan Finish on ice and told me you’d whipped up a cocktail I wouldn’t question you for a second. FINISH: Med -> Sticky sweet with some bits of oak, bitters and orange peel.