Sagamore High Rye Bourbon Review

Corrected August 18, 2026

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Starting out almost a decade ago as the company that brought whiskey-distilling back to Baltimore, Sagamore Whiskey has built its reputation around a Maryland rye revival. Although not as famous as its Pennsylvania neighbors for rye whiskey, Maryland has its own rye-making tradition that is at least as old, eventually developing a style that could best be described as “low corn.”

Keeping that in mind, it perhaps should not surprise anyone that when Sagamore decided to make their inaugural bourbon whiskey, they stuck with something they knew. After all, Kentucky distillers did the same thing when venturing into rye-making, back in the 1970s. Ergo, Sagamore did a high rye bourbon. The initial release last autumn bore a six year age statement and was also bottled at a high octane 118 proof. The version under consideration here came out in July 2026, has no age statement (NAS) and is bottled at 108 proof. Both come from the same 60% corn, 25% rye and 15% malted rye.

The Bourbon
My pour took on a deep bronzed look in the glass. The nose came on strongly with the vanilla, backed by a mixed handful of oak shavings and orange zest, all on a foundation of melted brown sugar.

The palate continued in much the same vein, running with caramel and brown sugar tethered to orange zest again. The finish turned spicier, opening with cinnamon, before departing on oak.

For someone expecting a high rye bourbon to come out dry and spicy, the first thing I would say is that this is not especially “high.” The Four Roses high rye bill is 35% rye, and I have questioned in the past whether anything under 30% should be counted as “high.” Instead (and I suspect this has as much to do with the yeast as anything), this whiskey came out fruity, albeit not floral or soft as is so often the case. Fruity, but also kind of ballsy. Fans of the Sagamore style should be pleased.

The Price
Expect to pay $50 a bottle for this bourbon.