QUICK FIRE NOTES (Taken from Sagamore Spirit Site)
Aroma | Cherries, bitter orange peel, fresh herbs, cinnamon, and clove.
Palate | Spicy herbaceous, bright cherry, vanilla, honey, a touch of dryness at the finish.
Proof | 103 (51.5% ABV)
Age | 4 – 5 Years
OK, as we enter the final “holiday shopping” stretch, it’s important to keep your eyes peeled for something new and exciting to grab in the booze world. Sagamore Spirit’s “Limited Manhattan Finish” is one of those finds that we certainly endorse.
Some background – Maryland based, Sagamore Spirit opened their distillery doors in 2017 (did we mention it’s gorgeous and on the Baltimore waterfront?) as they are dedicated to resurrecting Maryland’s past time of rye whiskey making prominence going back to the colonial days or as it’s called now “Maryland Style Rye”. Their current liquid was produced using 2 different proprietary mash bills from the folks in Indiana. We’ll be chomping at the bid as they will soon have their very own “home-cooked” product into the wild.
Getting back to the juice – For Manhattan Finish, they took 4 – 5 year aged Rye and finished it in vermouth, bitters, and cherry brandy barrels to create a unique Manhattan Finished Rye Whiskey. Herbaceous undertones and fresh cherry sweetness make this an incredible whiskey to mix into its namesake, or savour on its own.
Look, there’s never a bad time to drink a Manhattan, but it’s herbal infused whiskey kick makes it especially yummy in the cooler months. And what really caught our attention, Manhattan Finish has a solid 103 Proof, providing character and boldness and removing it from a (please pardon the term) phoo-phoo category.
Sagamore President Brian Treacy notes,“Whiskey enthusiasts want to be challenged, and we’re always up for a good challenge too. It led us to try something that’s never been done before, which ultimately became Manhattan Finish. The process started with breaking down the flavors of a Manhattan cocktail and then building them back up again. Our distilling team spent weeks testing different combinations of our straight rye whiskey aged separately in cherry brandy, vermouth and bitters barrels to find just the right blend. The result turned out to be exactly what we wanted: a full-proof whiskey with character – not a cocktail – and one that was well worth the risk.”
While it is a limited release, we did find a bottle at Total Wine just last week. Visit their site for availability in your area.
Happy hunting, we hope you enjoy it!
