Review: Sagamore Spirit Rye Calvados Finish
Review: Sagamore Spirit Rye Calvados Finish
Sagamore Spirit‘s latest limited edition is a rye finished in French apple brandy barrels for more than 11 months. As with prior Sagamore bottlings, it’s sourced from MGP with no additional information offered.
It’s not immediately appley on the nose, the whiskey is strongly earthy and heavy with savory aromas, a blend of creosote, barrel char, black pepper, and charred green onion dominating, but dusted just so with cinnamon. Oddly, it’s not off-putting, particularly as you tuck into the palate, where the Calvados element finally becomes visible, giving the body an surprisingly intense fruitiness, with notes of spicy lemongrass, coconut husk, and red apples all popping nicely — though they do create a bit of a cacophony at times. A reprise of barrel char hits on the quite savory but exuberant back end.
101.2 proof.
A- / $69 / sagamorespirit.com