Maryland re-enters the rye whiskey world with Sagamore Spirits.
When you think of American whiskies, which states come to mind? Kentucky is synonymous with bourbon, Pennsylvania has a long, sorted history with whiskey, but what about rye? Well, in the early 1900s no other state did rye whiskey quite like Maryland.
At its peak, before Prohibition, Maryland produced over 5.6 million gallons of rye and by 1933 it held about one-third of the nation’s total rye whiskey supply. But Maryland wasn’t just a rye whiskey powerhouse, it was a “Maryland style” rye whiskey powerhouse. Now, if you’re anything like us, you may be wondering what exactly, “Maryland style” means. It’s a great, totally valid question and the answer is, “We don’t know.” No one really does.
Apparently, the early distillers were so preoccupied that they forgot to ever write down a recipe, or even a definition for that matter, for a signature, Maryland rye. And then came Prohibition. And then came World War II. During the war, Maryland distilleries were converted into ethanol production to support the troops, which halted production on the rye. After the war, the government’s promotion of corn subsidies, meant that Maryland farmers were a lot more inclined to grow corn than they were rye. Basically, over time, Maryland stopped growing rye and stopped making rye whiskey.
But a few years ago, that all started to change. Distilleries like Sagamore Spirits began popping up and are now trying to redefine or rediscover exactly what makes Maryland rye different. In the case of Sagamore’s Signature Rye Whiskey, that means blending together a high rye with a 52 percent rye. The goal is to create a slightly sweeter, less spicy rye (dare we say, a more bourbon-like rye?) than what rye drinkers are used to today. This blended formula allows the distillery to play with proportions and try to recreate one historical hypothesis on Maryland style rye whiskey. So does the final blend hold up?
Truth be told, it’s hard to say. With no actual standard for what Maryland rye should taste like, it’s hard to say if, well, it tastes like Maryland rye. Sagamore Signature Rye Whiskey coats the tongue in the thick, syrupy flavors of caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Through the dense viscosity, a few subtle clove notes peak through with a small bite at the finish. As intended, it’s definitely not a spicy rye, but a sweet one. The flavors feel slightly underdeveloped, which may be due to the 83 proof, or may just be as the distillers intended.
As it stands, Sagamore Spirits Signature Rye Whiskey did not blow us away, but is the whiskey, distillery, or style to blame? With no official standard for Maryland style rye whiskey, it’s hard to say if the distillery produced an underwhelming product or if the style itself is just underwhelming. It’s a conveniently open-ended little loophole.
For now, we’ll cheer on the resurgence of a rye whiskey legacy, but keep our eyes on the other interpretations of Maryland style rye whiskey.
STATS: Sagamore Spirits Signature Rye Whiskey
- Price for us: $40 for 750 mL
- Proof: 83
- Aged: 4 – 6 Years
- Distillery: Sagamore Spirit Distillery
- Recommendation: Mixer
