Drink the Bottles

  Three Ryes, One Maryland Story: Exploring Sagamore Whiskey The history of Maryland rye, its remarkable comeback, and our tasting of Sagamore Whiskey’s Small Batch, Double Oak and Cask Strength expressions. There are a lot of places in America that have become synonymous with whiskey.   Kentucky has bourbon. Pennsylvania has its own long rye tradition. Tennessee has Tennessee whiskey. And then there’s Maryland. For much of American whiskey history, Maryland rye was a big deal. Long before craft distilling became fashionable, rye whiskey was being produced throughout the state, and Baltimore had developed a reputation for the style. Maryland rye was generally known for being a little softer and rounder than some of its northern counterparts, while still delivering the peppery spice that makes rye so distinctive. Then Prohibition happened a nd Maryland rye essentially disappeared. Today, there’s a concerted effort to bring it back—and few distilleries have put more ene...

Distillery Series #17 -  image from Jack Daniel Distillery When the Angel’s Share Becomes Part of the Story Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #17 is batch proof Tennessee Whiskey pulled from top floors of the distillery’s Coy Hill barrelhouses There are plenty of ways a whiskey distillery can experiment.   Change the grain bill. Try a different barrel. Finish the whiskey in something unexpected. Push the proof. Change the way the barrels are toasted or where they're stored.   Or, in the case of Jack Daniel’s latest Distillery Series release, you can put the whiskey in an unusually hot place, leave it alone for years, and see what happens. That is the story behind Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #17: High Angel’s Share Straight Tennessee Whiskey . And it is a pretty fascinating story. Jack Daniel’s began with traditional Tennessee Whiskey laid down in barrels in 2016. Those barrels were then placed on the top floor of Barrelhouse 1-13 on Coy Hil...