Baltimore-based whiskey company Sagamore Spirit deepened its Maryland bona fides over the weekend with the release of two whiskeys made entirely in the state.
The distillery unveiled Sagamore Small Batch rye whiskey, a new flagship product, as well as the 7-year-aged Bottled in Bond at a release party held Nov. 9 at its Baltimore Peninsula headquarters.
The launch of both bottles is a landmark for the 11-year-old company, founded by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank with a mission of restoring prominence to rye whiskey, a combination of rye, corn and other grain that was a staple of Maryland’s alcohol industry before the Prohibition era.
The state was home to 44 distilleries pre-Prohibition, according to Sagamore’s research, including at least 13 in Baltimore.
Though Sagamore Spirit’s first batches of whiskey were made by an Indiana-based contract distiller, the company started aging rye in its own barrels as soon as the Baltimore distillery opened in 2017. That whiskey has finally come of age, prompting the release.
Sagamore — now majority-owned by Illva Saronno Holding, an Italian company known for its Disaronno amaretto — celebrated the milestone Saturday with live music, hors d’oeuvres and free samples of the Maryland-made whiskey at a party open to the public.
Sagamore Small Batch and Bottled in Bond will replace Penny’s Proof, an annual small-batch release from the distillery showcasing the gradual maturation of its all-Maryland whiskey.
“Penny’s Proof started as an opportunity for our brand fans to try whiskey 100% distilled by Sagamore but not completely ready to be packaged and sold to the general market,” Sagamore explained in a Q&A posted to its website. “We are thrilled to have reached that goal with Small Batch and Bottled in Bond.”
To make a “grain-to-glass” Maryland whiskey, Sagamore uses rye grain and corn grown at Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County, as well as on other Maryland farms partnering with the distillery. The spirit is aged in barrels made from oak trees grown across the state.
A spokesperson for the distillery said Sagamore’s Small Batch rye whiskey will be a permanent addition to the company’s core product line, which also includes a Cask Strength rye whiskey and a Double Oak rye. It will be sold globally.
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