Review #632 - Sagamore Reserve Series 9 Year Rye
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Sagamore Spirit is a relatively new, modern distillery that focuses on rye whiskies. Their core range included a small batch straight rye, a cask strength rye, and a double-oaked rye; they also produce more limited expressions, such as this 9 year rye from their 'Reserve Series.'
Sagamore doesn't actually distill this 9 year rye - they don't yet have distillate this old, and this whisky was sourced from Indiana, specifically from MGP (now Ross & Squib). It's actually a blend of two different MGP rye mashbills: one is the classic 95% rye, 5% malted barley recipe, while the other is their 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% barley recipe. Sagamore bottled this rye at a nice strength of 56.3% ABV, and they don't chill filter the whisky.
Sagamore Reserve Series 9 Year Rye
USA - Rye
Price: USD 79 (2025)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 56.3% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered; batch 1A
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Sweet candy and rye spice - spearmint, cinnamon, oranges, anise. Graham crackers and cola add some sweetness, while wood spice increases from the growing oak presence. The rye adds a fizzy sensation to the nose, and we get soft savory notes, too.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; lots of cola and soda up front, cinnamon, leathery oak. Again, there's a fizzy element from the rye, which also brings mint and pepper; strong fruit notes build in the palate, like grape, cherry, and tart cranberry. Dry lumber and brioche bread combine with brown sugar and orange peel - this has many layers, a lot of complexity.
Finish: Wood spice and spearmint build, along with some black pepper; still, there's a nice sweetness from maple syrup and Hawaiian rolls. Lots of leather in the aftertaste; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: There's a lot of complexity in this rye - very good whisky, one that rewards the drinker with plenty of flavors if they take the time to dig into it. The extended aging and higher strength combine to create that great depth; the mixture of spices, oak, and fruits was a lot of fun to taste.
Value here is good, too, since this sits at a reasonable price between $70 and $80. We haven't tried too many ryes under $100 that have this sort of flavor development, and we think this is well worth a purchase.
Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.15
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
