A Tour and Tasting with Friends
A few weeks ago, a handful of friends and I scheduled a visit to Sagamore Spirit. It’s a wonderful destination to enjoy with friends, as you will learn the history behind rye whiskey and, more importantly, have an opportunity to sample rye whiskey, something that I have quickly grown fond of. Sorry for those under 21 years of age, you’ll just have to wait until you can appreciate the full advantages of a Sagamore tour and tasting.
In addition to the tour and tasting, we also had a chance to take in the sights of their store where you can purchase a wide variety of souvenirs. After our tour, everyone had plenty of time to look at all of the very cool items; I wanted to take them all home with me, but my will power was strong that day. Hey, we’re on a tight budget so not buying one of the many, many things I saw in the Sagamore Spirit store is a big accomplishment. We even stayed in budget with the price of tasting and tour (it was cheap)!
Clean is Key
Upon arriving, we noticed the entire place was super clean with plenty of light pouring in. The natural light really made the experience even better. From the store to the distillery itself, everything looked inviting and made me want to come back. Honestly, how many times have you been to a restaurant or venue, and thought, “Eh, I guess I’d go back?” Well, Sagamore Spirit definitely left me feeling, “Yes, I totally want to come back!”
Our tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. He wasn’t afraid to admit that he’ll make up whatever he doesn’t know. Yes, a sense of humor does help and it’s definitely appreciated. As a longtime fan of bourbon, my experiences with rye whiskey are severely lacking, but this tour was very interesting, and our guide was extremely engaging and personable. One thing that I feel gets lost in life is the ability to sit back, listen, and laugh, and I felt myself smiling during this tour, because I was really having a lot of fun. Okay, true, I was excited to taste some whiskey, but would you go to a tasting if you weren’t interested?
It was incredible to see and learn the process in which Sagamore makes its rye whiskey. It’s something that makes me feel happy that I’m on the better end of the deal – tasting the product. Although, don’t get me wrong, I’d totally be on board one day to be like Ryan Reynolds who becomes partners with a company (Aviation Gin), because he loves the product and then gets to put his fun spin on promoting. Okay, yes, that does sound like a pretty sweet gig.
Tasting Sagamore Spirits
But, first thing’s first, onto the tasting. We were offered four types of Sagamore whiskeys to try, along with a sampling of their dark chocolate. Wow, I totally would’ve bought a box of chocolates for Meghan if I knew I wouldn’t have eaten the entire box on the way home. Delicious! And as good as those chocolates were, I’m definitely leaning on favoring the whiskeys, because, you know, whiskey. Of the four whiskeys, I really enjoyed three of those four. Yes, everyone’s taste buds are different, and the red wine infused rye whiskey just didn’t leave me wanting more.
Now, if you’re thinking, “uh oh, why should I go to Sagamore Spirit if you didn’t like them all?’ First, not everyone likes the same thing, and everyone else’s favorite of our group was that exact whiskey, so I was the odd one who didn’t like everyone else’s favorite. That’s the great thing about the entire experience at this tour and tasting. I would gladly go back, pay for it again, and do it all over again.
I think that’s the mark of, not only a great product, but the overall presentation and feel of Sagamore Spirit. There wasn’t one moment when I felt ready to move onto the next thing or wanting to go to a different place. My attention was squarely on our location, our fun guide, and their tasting room is absolutely stellar. The arched table let everyone talk with each other comfortably, while providing plenty of space to leisurely sample their rye whiskeys.
No Need to Rush
The pace of this tour was perfectly on point. I didn’t feel rushed, but each time we stopped to listen to a section or as we tasted our samples, it felt like it was the right amount of time. There were plenty of opportunities for questions, and our Sagamore guide was on his A-game. After our tasting, everyone at the event spent plenty of time afterwards in their gift shop, where again I will say I restrained myself from buying so many of the things in there. Honestly, if I bought things at each event I wanted to write about for the Winey Parent, we would definitely be looking for a way to pay for all of these things (like paid sponsorships, *wink*).
So, all of my friends each took home a few different items from the shop and everyone wanted to go next door to the Rye Street Tavern. The most conveniently located restaurant in the history of the world – right next door to Sagamore Spirit. We all sat down for lunch and a cocktail(s). Well, I ate before the tasting and tour, so I just enjoyed Sagamore on the rocks during our visit.
The Rye Street Tavern was also a very clean and inviting location; though, my friends who loved the one whiskey were a little surprised that they were out and couldn’t enjoy a cocktail that was recommended on our tour. Side note: we do understand that they can’t just walk next door to grab what they needed to make a drink, because, rules and stuff. The staff was very friendly and on top of any and all refills. It was also fun to text back and forth with Meghan when she let me know a friend of hers was working, which led to a fun chat about Rye Street Tavern constantly hosting fun events.
Rating the Spirit of Sagamore
Overall experience for Sagamore Spirit: A+ – and – why haven’t I gone back yet?!
And let me be clear, there were so many cool items in that gift shop that I wanted to take home that I think visitors would enjoy too. Seriously, I could’ve bought almost every single piece of barware in there and not left with a single regret. Come on, a coffee mug that says, “This might be whiskey,” is perfect. But even before seeing that, there are even many other things I’d get first (probably), from the tasting glass, whiskey rocks glass, large ice cube trays, the copper muddler, and okay, okay, I seriously need to stop or I’ll just end up driving there to buy all of those things. They even have t-shirts, coffee, flavored simple syrups, BBQ and hot sauces. Okay, now I’m done.
So, yes, you should go to Sagamore Spirit for a tour and tasting. Yes, I’m truly sorry if you’re not 21 years of age, because I had a blast with my friends. This is the type of experience you hope for – it’s fun, there’s laughter, and yes, there’s the tasting. All of it combined makes Sagamore Spirit a must hit of Baltimore.
Follow Our Fun Tour
Scroll through the photos below to get an idea of how much fun my friends and I had. To immerse yourself in the Spirit of Sagamore, head to their website to learn more about their hours of operation, pricing, and to book a tour! As always, if you like this content and want to see more on the Winey Parent, please make sure to share comments below or reach out to us over on Facebook or Twitter.
Winey Parent at Sagamore Spirit
This tour of Sagamore Spirit is brought to you by this big dork over to the left. Travis is a fan of bourbon, writing his next fictional story, and admittedly wears his Batman shirt too often.
FYI: He’s not Batman.
