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Sagamore Spirit Double Oak Straight Rye

A unique rye whiskey finished in wave toasted stave casks for 18 months, offering rum-roasted pecan aromas but delivering classic rye spiciness on the palate.

OVERALL RATING

7
$94
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

A unique for of cask finishing for this much loved rye whisky. After maturation in brand new American oak casks, the whisky is then transferred into wave toasted stave casks for a secondary maturation for 18 months. A low char level from the barrel, increased wood surface area from the additional staves, plus the medium char of the staves gives this rye a huge development of caramel and rich decadence.
Appearance:
Deep Ruby
Nose:
Rum roasted pecans doused in maple syrup. Baked vanilla, fresh pastry, burnt butter, butter cream, gentle rye spices, a little hint of alcohol spice.

Caramelised banana, some really intense Barbados rum notes – think about molasses, heavily charred barrels, and the smells of rum warehouses – sweet, a little funky and covered in sugary sweet stuff.
Palate:
Significantly less sweet than the nose gives off.

This is all about the rye on the palate. It comes across as a little thin at first, but then, boom! Loads of spicy rye, toasted oak, green herbs, fresh sweet pastry and more of those caramelised banana notes.

Some sweet but feint notes of vanilla ice cream.
Finish:
A lot of dark chocolate and some dry, softer nutty flavours like hazelnut and walnuts. You get a touch of rum and raisin ice cream coming through a little at the end which is a nice contrast to the intensity of the dark cocoa and nut notes.
Comments:
I wanted a lot more from this. It’s a perfect good example of rye with a very decadent nose. However, that decadence isn’t carried across onto the palate and the finish in the biggest way.

Now that’s fine because it’s a rye and not a bourbon, so less sweetness should be expected. But it would have been nice to have more of those big sweet cask notes to counter act some of the classic rye spiciness. It also comes across as so thin on the first sip which wasn’t expected in any way.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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