Sagamore Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey / 41.5% / 0.75l

Sagamore Spirit was founded in 2013 as an investment by Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, a sportswear manufacturer.

Plank’s mission was to restore Maryland’s status as a whiskey-producing state (pre-World War II, it had more than 40 distilleries). In 2015, the company began building a distillery, and a year later, Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey debuted. It’s a blend of two rye whiskeys, distilled using two formulas—high (95%) and low (51%)—at MGP’s distillery in Indiana, aged for about three years, and diluted with water from Plank’s Sagamore Farm. The traditional Maryland-style straight rye was distilled from a relatively high-corn, low-rye mash.

Aroma : floral-herbal, hay, dill, peppermint, vanilla, honey, cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg and fresh oak.

Taste: mild, a handful of garden herbs, green tea, pepper, caramel, honey, a slice of rye bread and a delicate bitterness of oak.

Finish : medium long, with notes of white pepper, herbal mix, honey and oak.