Sagamore Spirit Sherry Finish Rye

Strong cherry notes, nice stiff pepper finish, with a nice linger on the tongue.

This was a pretty highly rated rye and I trust other people’s opinions that this was a very good one however I very much dislike sherry and so that flavor profile stood out to me preventing me from appreciating this one the same way most others did.

Aroma opens with rye spice, vanilla creme, shortbread, white pepper, candy cane, apricot, fresh leather, grass, dried plum, tobacco, and oak. An inviting and complex nose for sure. Ethanol is low. Palate offers raisin, date, caramel, fig newton, smoke, prune, and macadamia nut. Flavors are rich but with some delicacy to them; kind of like a soufflé. Finish is delightful; on the longer side of medium with figgy pudding, chocolate, black,pepper, herbal mint, toasted oak and coconut, caraway seed, and dried black cherry. Mouthfeel is full bodied with a soft, velvety texture but does turn a bit dry at the end. Yeah, this is delicious. I will admit that for the first few drams after opening I felt this was a bit tight and that the sherry/rye flavors were a bit clashy, but as more air got to the bottle it opened up and became more cohesive. A bold, innovative, and weird whiskey that somehow still works. I paid $99.99 via mail order and while I’d always like to pay less, I feel this is appropriately priced for the quality. Nicely done, Sagamore.