Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Straight Rye

Whiskey Club Bigger, creamier on palate

Batch 2F, Bottle 3370, Bottler CAM, at 112.2 proof. MGP has it made. All the fun of distilling some of the greatest American whiskey, no hassle of marketing to deal with. All they have to do is sit back, and young distilleries will beg to take their whiskey and put their name on it. Given this is a cask strength MGP rye, only great things can come of it. Hoping anything that's not rye in the mashbill stays quiet in this bottle. Decent color, probably 4-5 years old. It's expected that MGP stays quiet about the age, but the "aged fully" remake on the bottle is really just a kick in the crotch. Good spice, black pepper, and cinnamon on the nose, followed by a fruit note, perhaps old or tropical fruit, and a bit of sweetness not unlike maple as well. The nose burn is medium, but the reminder that this is rye is there as you pull the glass away. The body is hot as it hits the gums. The initial flavor is rye grain, but almost immediately an explosion of maple and even chocolate burst forward. I thought this would make it sweet, and right as I was ready to be disappointed, I breathed in and the fire was lit. The finish is where the rye comes to burn you, and it burns very, very well. Sure, I can tell that the ethanol is high and also part of the burn, but only rye can penetrate the gums and stay there for minutes after a sip. After a few more sips, I can pick up a similar fruity note that I got from the initial scent, but only if you think fruits in desserts, like bananas foster or apple pie. This is a fine whiskey that features rye. I don't believe that an openly featured "low rye mashbill" should be allowed to be called rye whiskey, but honestly, once past the shocking sweetness phase, only the rye really remains. Cask strength likely makes this even more attractive, as less proof probably equals much higher sweetness. Not a bad thing to pick up, so long as it's still the sourced product in the bottle; I don't know anything about Maryland, but I'd bet a lot of money that they couldn't make anything that would come close to rivaling MGP. Really, I just need an MGP tracker app.