Based on some really enthusiastic reviews by Bourbon Junkies, I wanted to get my hands on whiskies from Sagamore Spirit in Baltimore, Maryland. Of course, with American whisky imports being what they are in The Netherlands I had to look across the border and found some in Luxemburg. I got one, used in a tasting and then the group decided to order the rest of the stock there, at the time.

It ended up with me walking through Alkmaar with a backpack full of bottles of Sagamore whisky. Good times, although back then my spine might have disagreed.

Anyway, yesterday I cleaned my home office and moved all bottles around looking for ones that are almost empty. This one fit that category and I decided to empty it yesterday evening. A good evening, with the following review as a result:

Sniff:
Slightly dry and forward on the wood spices and tree bark. There’s a hint of orange and pumpkin seeds. Dark, crusty bread, oak. It’s a classical rye whisky, but it’s done very well. Cinnamon after a little while.

Sip:
The palate packs a bit of a punch, but not as much as you’d expect for 56%. Some chili heat, some other dry spices too. Wood spices like cinnamon, black pepper. Roasted pumpkin seeds, tree bark. Lots of dry, mulchy wood.

Swallow:
The finish brings a bit more heat, and adds more dryness. Very classical for rye whiskies, but as said on the nose, done extremely well. The combination of the incredibly dryness, spices, and a hint of orange and dark bread works for me. It always does.

I am a sucker for rye whiskies, so they tend to do well with me. This one is no exception and the combination of a very dry whisky with lots of flavors to be found really works for me. With this clocking in under € 100 including shipping from Luxemburg makes this a really solid scoring whisky, and one that just might end up on my shelf again!

89/100