Sagamore Spirit 6 Year Rye Review

Sagamore Spirit Rye
Barrel Select
Aged 6 Years
110 Proof
$68.99

Please enjoy my Sagamore Spirit 6 Year Rye Review!

Sagamore Spirit Rye Is Maryland Rye

Sagamore Spirit has the goal of reviving rye production in Maryland. Yes, I did say Maryland. At one point, Maryland was a significant producer of whiskey in the US, with the majority of that whiskey being rye. However, rye whiskey began its demise in the mid 20th century and Maryland Rye soon essentially ceased to exist. That is, until now.

Sagamore Spirit’s Unique Method

The folks at Sagamore Spirit use a unique method for making their rye. While they are currently distilling rye whiskey using Maryland grains, their earlier ryes are of a different origin. MGP, in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, originally distilled Sagamore’s two different rye mash bills; one consisting almost entirely of rye, and the other with a much lower rye percentage, down near the legal limit of 51%. For the latter, corn makes up the remainder of the mash bill. Both mash bills also contain a small amount of malted barley. Sagmore then blends the ryes made from these two mash bills together to achieve the desired flavor profile. The ryes are then proofed down using water from a spring fed by a limestone aquifer on Sagamore Farm, which is located about 26 miles from the distillery. This spring water is transported to the distillery in tankers and stored on-site.

This particular Sagamore Spirit 6 Year Rye is aged 6 years and was selected by the folks at Total Wine in Knoxville, TN. It was distilled at MGP.

Tasting Notes

Let’s taste it:

🛌 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Cherry, apple, orange peel, rye seeds, cloves, cedar, brown sugar; relatively mild alcohol for the proof
👉Taste: Citrus, simple syrup sweetness, oak, caramel
👉Finish: Citrus and oak continue, with oak rising to the top where it is joined by black pepper spice and some char. Long finish with a moderate burn.

Summary

This Sagamore Spirit 6 Year Rye took me a bit by surprise. I don’t expect as much spice and “bite” in a Maryland style rye as I would in a typical MGP 95/5 rye, so no surprises there. What I wasn’t expecting was all the fruit in the nose. However, it blended together quite well with the other flavors. The level of citrus also made me take note. It too goes perfectly with the other flavors. It was just a bit more than I was expecting given the combined mash bills. I have been a fan of Sagamore Spirit Ryes ever since we first visited them back in 2019, and this one is quite enjoyable as well.

I hope you enjoyed my Sagamore Spirit 6 Year Rye Review! If you would like to learn about a few more Sagamore Spirit Ryes, check out our Sagamore Spirit Tequila Finish Rye Review, our Sagamore Spirit Calvados Finish Rye Review and our Sagamore Spirit Manhattan Finish Rye Review!

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