(Credit: Richard Thomas)
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirits has been around for a dozen years now, while their distillery has been operational since 2017. During that time, Sagamore has made the full transition from being a non-distillery producer (NDP), relying on whiskeys sourced from other distillers (Indiana’s MGP chief among them); to relying partly on sourced whiskey stock and partly utilizing their own in-house production; to now having sufficient stocks of their own to develop expressions entirely in-house. Sagamore Small Batch is an example of that last category. While not the first Sagamore rye made wholly from their own production, it is the first intended for widespread, general distribution.
The term “small batch” originates from the 1990s, which was appropriately known as the Small Batch Era, when many of the seminal premium whiskey brands that are thought of as cornerstones and staples today were first launched. To understand what makes a small batch special, one needs to understand how most mass market whiskeys are made around the world. Batches of several hundred to over a thousand barrels are dumped to specified formulas, with the sheer volume of whiskey involved erasing the effects of any outlier barrels that might be included. The blender’s labor involved in working at this scale is far, far less than what is required in crafting a consistent product from lots of barrels that can be counted in the single or double digits.
Croakers scorn the entire category because it lacks a formal definition, which is true enough. Yet in the three and a half decades that small batch has been in the terminology, no case of serious abuse has emerged. What is more, the croakers never actually propose a definition they would like to see upheld. Sagamore says they create this expression in batches of approximately 20 barrels, which is actually a little large in my experience.
All Sagamore Spirits makes at their distillery is rye whiskey, but they have distinct mashes of rye in production. Small Batch is made using a Kentucky style rye, which is to say the rye content of the mash is just high enough to meet the statutory requirement of 51%. The other is a high rye, presumably mimicking the 95% rye sourced from MGP. This is the house style for Sagamore, intended to blend out the sweet, bourbon-esque nature of Kentucky style rye while avoiding the boldly spiced, dry character that so often accompanies MGP-derived products.
Sagamore Small Batch Rye is bottled at 93 proof, and said to draw on stock between 4 and 6 years old.
The Whiskey
The reddened amber pour had a scent that smacked with both hands. One hand was earthy, with butterscotch and caramel. The other swiped with ginger, mint and dill. The dual nature evolved, but largely carried over into the flavor, where spearmint, orange zest and ginger met honey and toffee. The spicy and sweet sides of the whiskey faded away rapidly on the finish, leaving behind a lightly oaky trace that sat for a spell. Sagamore has made a good rye here that competes well with anything in its class, such as Knob Creek Rye, Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye or Russell’s Reserve Rye (see the price point below).
The Price
Expect to pay $40 for one of Sagamore’s very classy, but very robustly-made and hefty 750 ml bottles.
