Reviews

Review #384 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Dark fruit, caramel, graham cracker. Palate: Cinnamon red hots, clove, oak. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: The clove becomes much more pronounced and some of the fruit from the noae reappears. Overall: 9/10 - Overall a fine bourbon. The nose is really fantastic and the long finish is a bonus.

Review #383 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Sweet dark fruit and cocoa notes. Palate: Clove, baking spice, oak. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 8/10 - The stave influence is not lost here, and it’s much more subtle than the Maker’s 46. I wasn’t particularly hunting for this 2022 release, but when it was offered it seemed like a good idea. It’s definitely an elevated Maker’s expression but I’ve been spoiled by the Cellar Aged.

Review #382 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: Apple, apricot, peach, plum, raisin. Palate: Medium mouthfeel with cinnamon, clove, and smoke. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 8.5/10 - The fruity nose is the real star of the show. I'm not getting any fruit in the palate, but the rye is on full display here. The smoky note seems to get stronger the more I sip, so that's a nice plus.

Review #381 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Maple syrup, dark fruit, some cinnamon notes. Palate: Cinnamon red hots, clove, baking spice. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: A few drops of water calms the spicier cinnamon notes, making for a better balance of finnamon, clove, and baking spice. Overall: 8.5/10 - This is a nice bourbon to sip on, with the flavors well balanced after a few drops of water. It’s pleasant in an unassuming way.

Review #379 129.6 proof Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Dark amber. Nose: Strong notes of caramel and vanilla. Palate: Clove, baking spice, oak. Finish: Long length with plenty of heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 9/10 - These are always good, if a bit on the hot side. The proof to dollar ratio is what makes it worthwhile.

Review #378 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Dark fruit notes dominate the nose. Palate: More fruit, with some clove and a smoky note. Finish: Medium heat that lingers. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 7/10 - This is a difficult one to rate as American Single Malts aren’t really my jam. The fruity nose was almost like raisins that had somehow gone sideways. The same almost spoiled fruit note is present in the palate. This could be from the finishing barrels or from the malt itself. Maybe this will open up with some air.

Review #377 109.8 proof Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: A lot of floral notes aling with the usual caramel and vanilla. Palate: Mouthfeel is medium thickness with clove, baking spice, and some mild cinnamon notes. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 7/10 - The floral notes in the nose remind me more of Four Roses than Maker’s Mark, but it’s classic Maker’s after that. It’s definitely a step up from their bottom shelf expression, but not good enough to justify almost triple the price.

Review #376 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Dark amber. Nose: Dark fruit with a floral note. Palate: Medium mouthfeel with cinnamon, clove, baking spice. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Splash: A few drops of water bring out a sweet oak note. Overall: 8.5/10 - Sagamore is putting out some great expressions and this is one of them. A little more proof would improve the finish and push this up to 9.0 or 9.5.