Sagamore Rye Double Oak
Straight Rye American Whiskey | 48.3% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
One that might seduce the rye haters
Day Drinkin’. Earned it.
I’m glad to say that the weather here in eastern North Carolina has vastly improved since my last review
Not only has this improved the disposition of my lovely wife – having recovered from her hoarseness after spewing all manner of vitriol that is no longer called for – but it has meant a return to the Shaw patio.
Yesterday, the temperatures reached 60 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale (almost 16ºC degrees to everyone else in the world) which felt downright balmy after weeks of sub-freezing temperatures and that, now-melted, blanket of snow.
After tending to some new opportunities, I looked out the window to see bright, blue skies. Part of my new freedom is exercised by turning my computer off in the middle of the day and doing something completely distant from what might be called “work”, and so I made my way down the stairs and to the whisky cabinet. I had thoughts of a single malt and a cigar.
It had been a few months since I went out to the patio for a dram session, and I have missed it.
When I opened the whisky cabinet, I scanned the thirty-odd bottles. I am blessed to have this very good assortment, a good number of which I have reviewed in these pages. But while I scanned impressive bottles, for some reason I did not reach for any. I must have looked through the selection for about two or three minutes, until I stopped scanning and smiled.
It would be apropos of my present circumstances – enjoying a very different reality than which I did a few weeks ago – for me to turn my attention to some bottles that do not often get my attention. I was inspired by Archie and Mason as both, in recent reviews, have mentioned that they had decided to look at bottles that have been neglected; those bottles at the back of the shelf.
With that bit of inspiration, I closed the cabinet and took a step or two to my left into the kitchen area and opened the whiskey cupboard. In there I have a single shelf dedicated to bourbons and ryes. I moved some bottles out of the way, and grabbed a neglected bottle that, frankly, I had forgotten about.
I walked out to the patio and looked across the back yard. It was tremendously satisfying to, once again, sit out on the back porch. What made it even better was that I was doing this shortly after lunchtime during what would otherwise be a working day. As I sat there with bottle and cigar in hand, I saw my neighbor Art pull into his driveway. You may remember my dear friend, Art, from my Old Forester 1910 review. He is a lovely soul, and I thoroughly enjoy his company. I reached for my phone and sent him a text.
“Art – just sat down with a bottle and a cigar. Up for sharing?”
A reply came rather quickly.
“You know it’s 1:45pm? Yes! No cigars. Judy will kick my ass if she smells smoke on my clothes.”
I chuckled and put my cigar, cutter, and lighter on the side table. After a few minutes I heard Art’s patio door open. I looked up and he was making his way across his yard and into mine.
“Hey Ogilvie!”
He was huffing and puffing a bit as he ambled to my back patio door. I got up and opened the door, extending a hand to help steady him up the steps. As usual, he shooed my hand away as he made his way onto my patio.
“Looks like retirement suits you just fine!”
I laughed a bit, nodded, and said, “It doesn’t suck, Art. Not at all.”
Art sat down across from me with a huge grin on his face. “Man . . . look at you! On a Wednesday afternoon!” he said “I could get used to your retirement rather easily.”
There were laughs all around as he started to tell me about his day with his time at the gun range (he is a range officer) and the number of people he had to redirect due to their inability to abide by the range’s clearly posted rules. I got up from my seat and stepped inside.
“Keep talking, Art – I’m listening. Just going to get you a glass.”
“You’re a good man, Ogie.”
Art did keep on talking – he’d had a few days that were not ideal. Judy’s sister was not well, there was some issue with his car, and evidently he was riled up with issues he saw on his newsfeed. We enable catharsis for each other, and today was his day to unburden himself and for me to lend an ear. As he talked, I handed him a sizable pour and, true to our regular routine, he complained yet smiled about the amount of liquid in his glass, and we went into our habitual give-and-take.
“You trying to get me drunk?”
“Well, you are kinda cute.”
“Judy would throw hands, son . . . and I’d put money on her!” Again, lots of laughter even though the same lines (more or less) are repeated and enjoyed with every visit.
I sat down and noticed that the venting had not resumed. I looked up at Art who was carefully examining his glass.
“What’s this? I want to say it’s bourbon, but clearly it isn’t, and it ain’t Scotch. I like it, but I don’t know what it is.”
“Something different, my friend.”
“Trying to slip me a mickey?”
“I told you that you’re kinda cute.”
“I have no idea what this is, but in a strange sorta way, I like it.”
Review
Sagamore Double Oak Rye, American Straight Rye Whiskey, 4-5 years old, blend of a low-rye distillation and a high-rye distillation though no indication of a mashbill, Batch 8AK, natural colour and non-chill filtered (information from distillery tour – not on bottle), 48.3% ABV
USD$55 (£50) paid, batch availability
I showed the bottle to Art and he was rather amazed. A while ago he had a rye whiskey and swore it off. Art remembered it being like a dill pickle and spearmint gum having a baby. And with that, he shook his head and swore this wasn’t like any rye whiskey he’d ever had.
It was a good curveball to throw to my buddy, and we sat and enjoyed ourselves in the mid-afternoon.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
One that might seduce the rye haters
Nose
Vanilla pipe tobacco. Rye spice is here, but intertwined with plums and cherries. A sweet oak is here. Cherry Coca Cola . Conditioning oil for leather. Coconut. Roasted cashews. Orange oil. A wisp of dark chocolate.
Palate
Fig Newtons and rye spice. The rye spice and warmth builds through the tasting experience leaving warmth in your cheeks and under your tongue – despite this only being 48.3% ABV. The texture is rich and silky. Pine needles from the rye mingle with some cherry cola and toffee. At the mid-palate, the warmth has built up and a slight butterscotch taste comes through.
The finish is lovely with the dissipating rye spiced prickliness and warmth accompanied by buttered pastry, oatmeal, and figs. Don’t get me wrong, the rye spice is ever-present, but it does not curl your tongue like a Monongahela rye does. Those Monongahelas often leave heaps of dill on your palate. No, this is spicy, woodsy, toffee’d, a bit fruity, and very nice.
The Dregs
I had the pleasure of going to Sagamore Distillery with my whisky club back in 2022. This same trip to Baltimore we had visits to Sagamore Distillery and Old Line Distillery. As mentioned in prior reviews, the difference between the two is beyond striking. Old Line is in a leaner side of town, and it operates from a building that was once an industrial laundry; while Sagamore, by contrast, with its five-acre spread on the water, looks like a small college campus with a courtyard and smartly polished new buildings.
Sagamore Spirits opened its distillery in 2017. The folk at Sagamore wanted to recreate a Maryland-style rye whiskey which had been prevalent back in the day. A Maryland rye traditionally had a mashbill of rye blended with a healthy percentage of corn and/or barley. Maryland ryes had sweetness as a main feature, as compared to, say, a Pennsylvania or Monongahela rye.
This stood out as the Monongahela ryes, which were usually 95% or 100% rye, yielded very strong dill notes. Sagamore took a page from recent distillers from across the pond by striving to create whiskies from farm to glass. To that end, it has successfully made arrangements with local farmers to source their non-GMO grains.
In an interview with Chilled magazine, Ryan Norwood, VP of Operations at Sagamore added: “Our whiskey is crafted using two distinct mash bills, creating a low rye and a high rye whiskey. These are fermented, triple distilled, and aged separately before blending to achieve our signature Maryland Rye flavor profile.”
The back label describes the double oak process:
After aging our straight rye whiskey for 4 to 5 years in high-char new American oak barrels, our distillers transfer the aged whiskey into toasted wave stave barrels for an additional 18 months. The increased surface area of the low-char, medium-plus-toast staves imparts Double Oak’s delightful caramel, toffee, hazelnut, and toasted coconut. Our classic Maryland-style rye whiskey is reimagined through this innovative aging process and then proofed with limestone-filtered water from our spring house built in 1909. The final spirit is a shining example of old meeting new.
I do remember having some second thoughts about snagging this double oak expression as I didn’t want my glass to be overflowing with tannins and tree bark as is my experience with some other “double oaked” whiskies. But, I also remember picking up the bottle for purchase as I recalled having a sample at the distillery and remembering how much I was pleasantly surprised by what I found in my glass.
This bottle was opened a few years ago, and I haven’t had a pour of it for the better part of a year. That wasn’t because it was poor whiskey – no, I had ignored it as I had some amazing bottles added to my whisky cabinet from auctions and a trip to Scotland. The cupboard is usually accessed when I have bourbon-loving guests and they usually like the bottles at the front of the shelf, so this Sagamore was relegated to the back and neglected. I am glad to have been inspired by Archie and Mason, as this was a very good choice to re-connect with a very good bottle of rye whiskey.
And, for those (*cough*, Gregor McWee, *cough*) who see “rye” on a label and immediately turn away, this bottle is among a few that I’ve had that bring both bourbon and single malt folk under the rye tent. This one is rich, sweet, and spicy.
There’s a lot to like here, and it is a shame it gets overlooked so often.
As Art got up from his chair and made his way to the door, he patted me on the shoulders, and said, “I won’t tell Judy that you tried to slip me a mickey, but don’t let me forget about that bottle. Just might want some more of that.”
That, my friends, is a ringing endorsement – and the Art translation of a Dramface 7/10.
Score: 7/10
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