Tastes

I heard some of the more common Sagamore Rye bottles weren’t that great (Double Oak and Straight Rye) and was able to try this bottle at a restaurant. I had it neat and in a glencairn glass. The nose has the rye spice I was expecting but something was off a bit. It wasn’t as pleasant as many of the other ryes I’ve had in the past. Almost like some lemon, orange, or herbs that was coming through. The palate then made me really question what I was drinking. It was “okay” but the herbal taste came out way to strong for me. I didn’t enjoy it and it drowned out any of the rye flavors, vanilla, and oak. The finish confirmed the taste as it didn’t linger too long but continued the “herbalness” with a mixture of oak. Overall, this was a rye I wouldn’t try again. I’m a big rye fan and for some reason, didn’t like this too much at all.

I wasn’t too excited to try this but figured why not while at the movies haha. Had this neat in an odd shaped glass. The nose was pleasant with oak, some cherry and definitely the earthiness that gives you the hint this is here to stay. The palate continues with the oak and earthy notes. This is like farm wheat earthiness, like straw. It’s not off putting and becomes more enjoyable as you drink it. The finish is long and smooth. For being cask strength, this is so smooth to sip on by itself. Overall, this was pretty dang good. I wasn’t expecting such great flavors and would order this again.

Knowing this was bottom shelf, generic rye, I was still looking forward to try it because of my love for ryes that keep growing. To be honest, I’ve only tried a few of the WT offerings. Trying this neat, the nose wasn’t complex with a ton of flavors. It was simple, caramel/vanilla, and pleasant. The palate was easy to drink and the sweetness continued to a short, fast finish. Overall, this wasn’t bad at all. What I will try next is making an old fashioned with this. I bet that could be delicious.

For many, this is a go to bottle for mixers and even neat. For me, I can’t be enough on the opposite spectrum. Neat, this is undrinkable for me. The nose reminds me of sad bourbon without character. The palate is banana (not my favorite) and the finish is short with ethanol backing. For mixers, as you probably guessed it, is not worth it. I’d rather use Elijah Craig, Woodford, Bulleit and many others.

I thoroughly enjoy Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and kept hearing incredible reviews on this JD bottle. I’ve never been a big fan of JD so I was always afraid to shell out for it. A friend of mine had this on his shelf and was excited to give it a try. The nose was so powerful, and not in a good way. I could smell the sweetness of vanilla, some banana and then the ABV. If you weren’t careful, the heat would bite you just from the nose. It made sure to remind you this was 135 proof. The palate was nothing like I expected from all the reviews. It was so hot I could barely make out the notes. Banana was there for sure but also an odd twang which made it not enjoyable. Again, the heat from the ABV over powered everything which made it disappointed. The finish wasn’t pleasant as the heat followed through with som emu or sweetness. Overall, this wasn’t for me. It reminded me that bourbon is in the eye of the beholder as soooooo many people love this bottle. Not me BUT one day I’ll try it again and see if it changes on me. Till then, I’ll let someone else grab this bottle.

I tried this at a bar as I never heard of this distillery. The nose had a hint of caramel and more of an ethanol flavor to it. Wasn’t too bad overall but nothing to exciting. The palette had more of a caramel and oak flavor which was pretty good. The finish was short, a little heat and didn’t last. Was hoping for more. Overall, it was okay. I wouldn’t buy a bottle and probably wouldn’t order a pour again.

I prepared this two ways; neat and then, dare I say, an old fashioned. First up, neat, and boy was I excited. I enjoy 1792 small batch and like higher proof bourbons so I thought this could be great. The nose was sweet, not too hot, full of vanilla and caramel. It kept me coming back for more and taking my time before drinking a sip. The palette came off quite hot at first but then smoothed out after being conditioned. The fruit sweetness came through as well as further caramel flavors. The finish was long with an oaky taste. I was pleased! Then came the old fashioned, alright, this has to be my favorite. Wow, the full proof hotness was toned down and the flavors burst through the pallet and finish. You can taste the sweet caramel flavoring with a hint of oak and it was delicious. Overall, buy this bottle, try it neat and then prepare for a glorious old fashioned.

This is one bourbon I can not drink neat. I love sweet/sugar candy but the flavor profile on its own as a bourbon just doesn’t hit me right when neat. Now, in an old fashioned, this becomes different. The old fashioned is sweet, for sure, but the taste now has a different flavor which is enjoyable for me. Not my favorite but I wouldn’t turn it down. Overall, I wouldn’t ever have this on my shelf but would order an old fashion with it.

I’ve fallen in love with Ryes and was excited to give this a shot. I prepared this in two ways; neat with a glencairn and an old fashioned. First up, neat, this was super sweet on the nose. Regular Angel’s Envy is really sweet to me to begin with so I expected this to be a sweet spice smell/taste. It didn’t disappoint. When you taste this, it’s like drinking maple syrup through and through. The mouth feel was thick and the palette really stayed steady with maple syrup and vanilla. Sooooooo much maple syrup! The finish kept the maple flavor going and going. I enjoyed the glass but do not think I could drink more than one in a sitting, so much syrup flavor. I missed out on the rye spice. Then, trying it in an old fashioned was a maple syrup sugar bomb! The first glass was like eating candy. I drank it way too fast due to liking candy so much. I enjoyed this more as an old fashion instead of neat. Overall, if you like candy, maple syrup, and prefer incredibly sweet old fashioned drinks, this rye is for you!

I was your excited to try this. I paid $20 for a glass at my local restaurant and it sat in a glencairn glass for ~5-10 minutes. The nose was sweet and delightful. Some cherry, vanilla and spice that made me even more excited to try it. The palate was where I began to be disappointed. It wasn’t earth shattering and the cherry/vanilla smell didn’t come through at all. It was incredibly smooth for 114 proof and did taste good, just not what I expected. The finish was long with some heat but I couldn’t pick out any particular clover outside of oak/vanilla. Don’t get me wrong, this was so smooth and good. I’d pay $20 for another glass during a nice dinner. With that said, I wouldn’t pay $250 for this bottle. Just too much for me.