Rye Whiskey

Sagamore Spirit Calvados Finish

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Sagamore Spirit Calvados Finish
A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskies

50.6% ABV
$69
Website
Sagamore Rye Calvados Finish
We would like to thank Sagamore Spirit and 360PR.plus for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Baltimore, MD – Feb. 25, 2020 – For those who crave a brown spirit that’s perfect before, during and after dinner, Sagamore Spirit today announced a new limited release rye whiskey that threads the needle: Sagamore Spirit Calvados Finish. Straight rye whiskies consistent with Sagamore Spirit’s two distinct, signature mash bills are finished in Calvados barrels for over 11 months to imbue silky soft notes of baked apples, cinnamon and honey from the storied French apple brandy casks.

Calvados Finish follows on the heels of the distiller’s Double Gold win at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The finish ideally complements the approachability of Sagamore Spirit’s Maryland-style rye, creating a whiskey that’s undeniably smooth yet complex, at a substantial 101.2-proof. It joins the brand’s much-lauded core expressions, which have been bringing the Maryland-style rye revival to back bars and retail shelves across the country: Signature 83-proof, Double Oak at 98.6-proof and a bold Cask Strength.

“Calvados Finish is a prime example of our distilling team’s passion for experimentation and excellence,” said Brian Treacy, Sagamore Spirit’s president. “One of our distillers has a personal penchant for Calvados and wanted to see what it might bring out in our rye whiskey. That’s where it began, and from there, the team caught the fever and was all-in too. They gave it the time it needed in the barrel to create one of our most special releases so far.”

Sagamore Spirit rye whiskey spends at least 11 months finishing in Calvados barrels before being blended and aged for another 9 months in low-rye American oak barrels. The result is an incredible whiskey that marries the spice of rye with the sweetness of apples, nearly six years in the making.

Notes of baked apples, cinnamon, and honey from French apple brandy casks combine with our smooth rye profile to create a whiskey that is both luscious and daring. Enjoy lingering hints of cloves and walnuts as you sip, savour, and share.

A French-Maryland Connection

Just as local spring-fed water is essential in creating the balance that’s distinctive to Sagamore Spirit’s Maryland-style rye, Calvados shares a similar regionality that gives it a unique taste profile. Unlike other regions of France that are ideal for growing wine, Normandy, where Calvados is made, is cool and damp, making it better suited for rich brandies made from pears and apples.

To make Calvados, apples are fermented into a cider and distilled before aging in oak barrels for at least two years. The result is a liquid expression of the apples that is delightfully rustic compared to other French spirits and liqueurs.

Sagamore Spirit Calvados Finish is the award-winning distillery’s first new expression of the year, following the successful releases of Port Finish and Cognac Finish in 2019. It will be available nationwide in March at a suggested retail price of $69 per bottle. To find a bottle near you visit sagamorespirit.com/find-rye.

Notes of baked apples, cinnamon

What Gary Says

Nose:  Baked apple pie with cinnamon, dried mint, thyme, hint of clove with a wisp of lime zest.
Palate:  Apple slices dripping with honey that sharpens with pepper spice, cloves, roasted nuts, citrus notes of tangerine.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with oak and applesauce.
Comments:  I tried this side-by-side with Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey, and I definitely preferred this. The Calvados finish is prominent, but not over-done – with notes of apple throughout. This has more edge than the Sagamore Spirit standard bearer, and I appreciate the higher ABV. A bit of water tamps the apple notes a bit and takes the edge off the pepper spice.

Rating: Stands Out

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Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Sagamore Spirit
Straight Rye Whiskey

41.5% ABV
$30
Website
Sagamore Spirit Rye

What the Producer Says

SIGNATURE RYE WHISKEY
Our spirit flows from a spring house, built in 1909, at Maryland’s Sagamore Farm – naturally filtered spring water, fed from a limestone aquifer. The same water that fuels our champion thoroughbreds also cuts the rich spice of our rye, creating a spirit as revolutionary as America’s risk-takers and history-makers. Our story is one of passion, of old meeting new, and crafting a timeless American whiskey.

TASTING NOTES
Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, and baking spices.
Palate: Traditional Maryland-Style Rye Whiskey. Candied dried orange peel with notes of clove and nutmeg. Lingering hints of walnut and brown sugar to finish.
Color: Golden straw.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Crisp vanilla with mint, eucalyptus, lime, baking spices of clove & nutmeg with just a hint of dill.
Palate:  Smooth and sweet entry with a minty lime uptick – but not sharp; a bit of vanilla and citrus notes.
Finish:  On the short side with notes of wintergreen mint.
Comments:  This has less of an edge than most rye whiskies, and only a little bit of dill (in fact I didn’t detect it on my first tasting). I also find more lime notes than orange notes, which is unique. For $30, there are several alternatives I prefer (like Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond, or Old Forester Rye), but there isn’t anything objectionable. The bottle is also fairly attractive, as well as hefty.

Rating: Average

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Cascadia Rye Whiskey

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Cascadia Rye Whiskey

43.5% ABV
$49 – $57
Website
Cadee Distillery Cascadia Rye Whiskey
We would like to thank Cadée Distillery for sending us a sample to review (and for making the time for a call to answer questions!)

What the Producer Says

Handmade in small batches. Well balanced, mellow rye with a rich malt edge. Deep color with a good nose offering malt sweetness and dried fruit. An aroma rich in port, cocoa, dark cherries, toffee, chocolate and mature oak on the palate. Aged for an average of four years in new American Oak, then finished for an average of 12 months in imported 20-year-old French Oak Ruby Port barrels. Rye spice sparkles throughout yielding to a long finish with hints of vanilla, tobacco and light wood notes. Cascadia gently rolls over the tongue like waves to the shore.

Cascadia Rye Whiskey is one of America’s finest whiskeys. We aren’t saying that, these are the gold medals and double gold medals speaking.

Try it out to experience its spicy flavor with malt sweetness and dried fruits. One marked and delicious characteristic of this whiskey is its lingering aroma rich in port, tobacco and light wood notes. This amber-hued whiskey provides an aroma of spicy rye with rich notes of dark chocolate along with overripe fruit, the concentration of flavors is completely inimitable.

Made from 51% rye, first matured in new American Oak barrels and then double barrel finished in French oak casks previously used for maturing rich, 20 year old port in Portugal. The casks were transferred to the distillery’s No.I vault, the Isle of Whidbey’s oldest maturation warehouse. Located at sea level on the shores of Port Clinton, the spirit was left to mature under nature’s care. The straight Rye developed into one of the most incredible whiskies we have produced.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright with mint, eucalyptus, orange zest, a touch of ginger, some herbal notes and birch wood.
Palate:  Quite smooth for rye, with gentle spices of mint, black pepper and allspice amongst chocolate covered cherries and hints of orange.
Finish:  Short in length with notes of mint and citrus spice.
Comments:  I find that rye whiskey fares better at a young age than bourbon does (not that I prefer young rye over older rye!), so I was looking forward to this.  Like Deceptivus Bourbon Whiskey, its age is clear on the nose, although I didn’t get as much of the port finish by comparison.  What I did get reminded me of some type of beer cask finish (not being a beer drinker, I apologize for the lack of specificity).  In fact, the nose reminds me a bit of Jameson Caskmates Revolution Brewing Limited Edition, which ironically reminded me of rye whiskey. This is very soft, gentle, and smooth for a rye whiskey.  If you’re looking for that sharp rye bite – you won’t find it here (maybe a ‘gateway rye’ for folks who have thought rye was too harsh in the past?) but you still get those spice notes and herbaceous qualities.  Very easy drinking, and again nothing off-putting.  Cadée Distillery’s founder Colin Campbell explained that they use malted barley as well in this mashbill, and with all of their whiskies they use water drawn from Whidbey Island when bringing the whiskey down to bottling proof – which provides a unique character.  While this may not be released any older, I do hope they’ll consider perhaps a higher proof offering.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Jim Beam Straight Rye

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Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

40% ABV
$20
Website
Jim Beam Rye

What the Distillery Says

(This is a discontinued label, replaced with the Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye in early 2015 which is bottled at 45%)

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft rye spice with mint, eucalyptus, vanilla, honey, charred oak and a hint of cherry and lemon zest.
Palate:  Thin mouthfeel with vanilla and cinnamon, a sour oak note and just a touch of citrus pepper spice.
Finish:  Short with oak and pepper.
Comments:  This is the older version, and as a straight whiskey with no age statement, safe to assume it is just over 4 yrs old. The new version is similarly non-age stated, although bottled at 45% ABV. The nose is rye, but light – and the palate reminds me more of a young bourbon than rye. Nothing objectionable, but not very good either.

Rating: Average

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Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey

46% ABV
$45 (375mL)
Website
Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Pot-Distilled From Rye Grain
Stored in New Oak Less Than Four Years
Hand Crafted and Bottled By:
Tuthilltown Spirits, Gardiner, New York

Our rye whiskey is known for its spiciness; its rich and shifting flavor and aroma. The spirit’s peppery start transitions to a honey-cinnamon depth. Note the butteriness that lingers after each sip. Needless to say, this spirit makes an incredible Manhattan.

What Gary Says

Nose: Young malted rye, oak, hints of a Manhattan cocktail with a bit of cinnamon and orange zest.
Palate:  Young rye, subtle cinnamon with hints of cocoa.
Finish:  Short and drying with a malted rye note.
Comments:  At first when I tasted this (which was from Drinks by the Dram, who listed this as “Hudson Manhattan Rye Spirit” – didn’t include the word ‘whiskey’ on their label), I thought it wasn’t just whiskey and might contain some vermouth – as it does come across very ‘Manhattan-like’. That said, I wouldn’t use this in a Manhattan as I think it would get lost, and it doesn’t bring that strong rye-character to the party. This tastes like young rye, and malted rye (reminds me more of young American single malt I’ve tried than young rye whiskey).  It also does have that ‘small barrel aged’ taste – but to a lesser degree (am guessing that some is aged in smaller barrels, but probably not all).  Normally I’d say that there isn’t anything objectionable, but I find the price to be just that – and hence my rating of ‘Probably Pass’ versus just ‘Average’. If I was going to walk into a store and spend $45 on a bottle of rye – this wouldn’t be it. Also, one of my pet peeves are poorly maintained web-sites. Theirs mentions to try the ‘Hudson Manhattan’ recipe listed in the recipes section on their website. Two issues here: first, there isn’t a ‘recipes’ section (but most will figure out the ‘Cocktails’ section is what they meant); second – there is no ‘Hudson Manhattan recipe! You can filter by this whiskey, and there are three cocktails – two of which are Manhattans (The Jazz Manhattan & The Perfect Manhattan).

Rating: Probably Pass

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