Rye Whiskey

Sagamore Spirit Cognac Finish Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Sagamore Spirit Cognac Finish Rye Whiskey

50.5% ABV
$70
Website
Sagamore Spirit Cognac Finish Rye
We would like to thank Sagamore Spirit and 360PR.plus for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Baltimore, MD – Sept. 3, 2019 – Cognac heritage meets rye whiskey’s most storied region, with the release of Cognac Finish from Maryland-based Sagamore Spirit. This is the first release from Sagamore Spirit since the brand earned widespread recognition for its Port Finish limited time offering, which won “World’s Best Rye Whiskey” at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

After aging for four years in charred, American White Oak barrels, Sagamore Spirit’s Straight Rye Whiskey gets finished in French Cognac barrels for an additional 8 months, revealing warm notes of apple, vanilla, and brown sugar. At 101-proof, Cognac Finish is a bold yet smooth reminder of how Maryland-style rye can transform deliciously when finished in the right barrels.

“We know our two-mash-bill blend makes our Straight Rye Whiskey unique to start – and our team of distillers enjoys experimenting with barrels imported from famed spirits regions. We get the finest finishing flavors to explore with while maintaining what makes Maryland-style rye special and approachable,” said Brian Treacy, president of Sagamore Spirit.

Today’s release marks the brand’s second batch of Cognac Finish, after an earlier release earned Double Gold at the 2019 Denver International Spirits Competition. This second offering is available now for a limited time at an approximate retail price of $70 per bottle.

For those interested in exploring other Maryland-style ryes, Sagamore Spirit’s award-winning selection of whiskies also includes Signature 83-proof and Cask Strength rye whiskey. Visit www.SagamoreSpirit.com to learn more and find a bottle near you.

Nose: Pear and apricot, bold spice with aromas of cinnamon and vanilla.
Palate: Fruit forward with apple, smooth vanilla, and brown sugar. Warm oak finish with lingering velvety spice.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruitcake with notes of evergreen, floral, charred oak, a bit of balsamic with a hint of dill and roasted almonds.
Palate:  Rye spice jumping out of the glass with dill, mint, allspice, cinnamon, and pepper; unmistakably ‘rye’; a tad sharp with oak, subtle vanilla and an astringent fruity note of citrus and green apples.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with smokey oak and lingering citrus spice.
Comments:  First, this has a lovely color (and the bottle is fairly heavy as well with a fair amount of thought going into the design – even the bottom of the cork has three diamonds on it!) While young, this is a solid rye, and the cognac finish is more prominent on the nose for me. The palate is a tad sharp, but this takes water like a champ which softens those edges without losing the lovely spice notes. Another nice example of a finish that isn’t heavy-handed, and is complimenting the base whiskey without upstaging it.

Rating: Stands Out

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WhistlePig Single Barrel 13 yr

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WhistlePig 13 Year Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
Selection by Dekalb Bottle House, Atlanta GA
Barrel 3323

60.5% ABV
$90
Website
WhistlePig 13 Year Private Selection

What the Bottler Says:

(Note – what follows is what they say about WhistlePig 10 Year Straight Rye; the Private Selection program allows for a custom label, but includes the “10 Year” age statement despite samples being older. This particular barrel was 13 years old)
The spirit of entrepreneurship.
Fortune, superb taste, and hustle lead us to the discovery of an aged Rye Whiskey stock in Alberta, Canada. We rescued the stock from misuse as a blending whiskey, aged it in new American Oak with a bourbon barrel finish, then hand-bottled this rye on its own. We’re honored to present the most awarded Rye Whiskey in the world.

NOSE: Allspice, orange peel, anise, oak, char and caramel
PALATE: Sweet; hints of caramel and vanilla, followed by rye­spice and mint
FINISH: Long finish; warm butterscotch and caramel.

What Gary Says:

Nose: Rich salted caramel with toasted lemon zest, charred oak, pine needles, dried dill, hint of mint, thyme, cinnamon, and orange essence.
Palate: Rich mouthfeel with a lovely warm sweetness, caramel with chocolate orange, allspice, a bit of cinnamon, some ginger and pepper spice.
Finish: Long with notes of caramel and minty pepper spice.
Comments: Considering the WhistlePig 10 Yr 100 proof is only $15 less than this was, this was a no-brainer to pick up without having tried it. You don’t see 13 yr cask strength ryes for under $100 anymore. This is the 2nd cask strength private selection of WhistlePig that I’ve had, and both were damn delicious. 100 proof is nothing to sneeze at, but the extra 10% ABV plus a few more years does some lovely things to this whiskey. I’m sure this is long since sold out, but if you see a private pick that is reasonably priced and you’re a fan of rye whiskey – I’d recommend grabbing it.

Rating: Must Buy

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WhistlePig 10 Year Straight Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

WhistlePig 10 Year Straight Rye

50% ABV
$75 – $80
Website
Whistlepig 10 yr Straight Rye

What the Bottler Says

The spirit of entrepreneurship.
Fortune, superb taste, and hustle lead us to the discovery of an aged Rye Whiskey stock in Alberta, Canada. We rescued the stock from misuse as a blending whiskey, aged it in new American Oak with a bourbon barrel finish, then hand-bottled this rye on its own. We’re honored to present the most awarded Rye Whiskey in the world.

NOSE: Allspice, orange peel, anise, oak, char and caramel
PALATE: Sweet; hints of caramel and vanilla, followed by rye­spice and mint
FINISH: Long finish; warm butterscotch and caramel.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Crisp rye spice, pine, dill, lemon-scented furniture polish, allspice, soft oak, orange zest, mint, with a hint of peach cobbler.
Palate:  Nice rounded mouthfeel, bright/sharp, vanilla with a lemon/lime zest pop, some mint, oak, caramel, and pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long, slightly drying with spice and caramel.
Comments:  This is a very solid rye, with all of the spice-pop you’d expect and hope for. I get a lot of pine notes in the Alberta Distillers ryes, and this is no exception. While quite solid, I’ve always thought it was priced a bit high. No, I can’t point to another 10 yr, 100 proof rye at the same price point (although just a couple of years prior, I was picking up 10 yr Canadian rye under the Jefferson’s label at only 90 proof, but for under $40). For me, while I do enjoy this, there are others I enjoy as much for less money.

Rating: Stands Out

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Few Rye Whiskey

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Few Rye Whiskey

46.5% ABV
$55 – $65
Website

What the Distillery Says

BORN OF HEARTY GRAIN AND PATIENCE.
The generous rye content is married with the sweetness of corn for a genteel interpretation of the venerable spirit. Patiently aged in air-dried oak barrels, its spicy character transcends mere resurgence. Behold – the renaissance of rye.

Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged at least one year in charred new oak barrels, and bottled by FEW Spirits, LLc. Evanston, IL

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright rye spice, mint, dill, lemon furniture polish with notes of pine.
Palate:  Crisp, bright sharp with lemon spice, mint and a touch of cinnamon.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with dried mint and light pepper.
Comments:  I’m not sure where the ‘patience’ comes from in their claim, since they don’t list an age. It tastes fairly young to me, although I happen to like young rye (maybe the only whisk(e)y category I don’t mind in the 2-3 yr range). While I don’t mind young rye, I’d never cough up over $50 for a bottle of this. If you’re considering it for some other reason (maybe you live in Illinois and want to support local craft?), I’d urge you to try a pour first.

Rating: Average

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Catcher’s Rye Whiskey

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Catcher’s Rye Whiskey

49.4% ABV
$50
Website
Two James Catchers Rye Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Distilled from 100% Michigan rye and pure water from the Great Lakes, Catcher’s Rye is a testament to the grain’s distinctive terroir. Each drop is artfully produced and aged for a minimum of two years in traditional, charred new American oak 53 gallon barrels. With delicious spice notes and a subtle fig finish, Catcher’s Rye proves there is no substitute for time or proportion. This is a labor of love, accept no phonies.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright, intense rye spice with fresh mint, caraway seeds, blood oranges with a squeeze of lemon, dill, hints of tarragon and thyme with a wisp of smoke.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, orange marmalade on rye toast, cinnamon sprinkles with allspice, hints of ginger, a bit of pepper and faint anise near the end.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with citrus spice.
Comments:  This is a pretty intense rye. My first impression of the nose was that this was a young rye, as I find many young ryes have that intensity and pop on the nose – but when I sipped it; completely exceeded my expectations.  I reached out to Two James distillery with some questions, and was delighted when David Landrum -the founder – took the time to provide a detailed response!  Here’s a summary of what David shared:

Mashbill: 100% Michigan Rye (specifically a northern variety: Hazlet)
ABV at Still: Between 65-70% (note that this is lower than many larger distillers, who are coming off closer to the maximum allowed limit for bourbon at 80%)
Barrels: We only use large format (minimum 53 gallon) oak barrels with varying char levels, mostly #3 and #4
Age: We have no age statement on our rye at the moment but everything released is between 4-6 years.
Maturation: Barrels are aged in a rickhouse on the farm where we grow the grain, non temperature controlled

Many rye whiskies are what I’d call ‘barely legal ryes’, meaning that their mashbill is 51% rye with a fairly high corn content.  Four Roses has a rye bourbon mashbill that has 35% rye, so these are closer to that than to a 100% rye mashbill.  Corn brings a lot of sweetness to the party, and David was looking for to “create an assertive whiskey”.  I’d say he certainly succeeded.

Frequent readers (all 6 of you) are aware that I’m not a fan of what is often referred to as ‘craft whisk(e)y’, because candidly too many of them cut corners with smaller barrels. I really appreciate Two James not taking this course, and more than that – for producing a delicious rye whisk(e)y.  If someone had poured this for me blind and asked what I thought, the word ‘craft’ wouldn’t have entered my thought process.  Sure, you’re paying a premium because of the smaller scale, but if I still lived in Michigan where this is easier to find, I’d have no problem keeping a bottle on hand.  And if you’re a rye whiskey devotee, I’d strongly encourage you to seek this out!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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