Going on a tour of the Sagamore Spirit distillery tomorrow as an early birthday present. Looking forward to hopefully getting to try the double oaked.
Went with my wife, daughter, one of my sons and his gf. We were the first tour group of the day (noon). The guide was entertaining and informative, we got to see the whiskey in all its stages from grain to glass with some history thrown in (rye whiskey was a thing before bourbon, for example), but the highlight for me was the tasting at the end. They had their 'core' collection (the basic rye at 83 proof, the cask strength at 112.2 proof, the double-oaked at 96.6 proof) as well as an exclusive to the distillery (only on sale at the gift shop)
Doppelbock, 5-year-old rye aged another 1.5 years in German-style doppelbock beer casks (link provided for the curious who are willing to spend $79+ s&h). My honest opinion of it is that it's tasty and like all the Sagamore products I've tried, it doesn't have the typical baking spice-style bite normally associated with rye, meaning it drinks lower than its actual proof of 94. My caveat is that I'm very judicious about how much I spend on whiskey and as much as I would like to have a bottle, ~$80 is a little too much for my budget. They also had a sample of a ginger-rye canned cocktail they make that makes a fine Moscow Mule, a favorite of my wife's.
As for the tasting itself, even though no one knew each other (besides the people they came with, that is), we all pretty much split along the same lines: those of us that liked whiskey (my wife and son were already on record as not liking whiskey and were only there to humor me, my daughter forgot her ID and couldn't drink, and I didn't know my son's gf's preferences) mostly chose the double oaked as our favorite, a fairly even split between the cask strength and the doppelbock as 2nd and 3rd place, and the basic offering as the least favorite. Since my wife barely touched the whiskeys in the flight, she traded her double-oaked to me for my sample of the canned cocktail.
Overall, I have nothing negative to share about my experience. It was my first distillery tour, so I have nothing to compare it to. That said, I think they're doing things right at Sagamore; 2 of their 3 core offerings are worthy additions to any whiskey collection, they are fully engaged with the local farming community as well and are committed to being a sustainable grain-to-glass operation. Even though $50 for whiskey makes me pause, I think the double-oaked is absolutely worth it, and I can get it at my local Total Wine for $54 ($11 less than the price at the distillery, wtf) and will look for any opportunity to splurge in the name of supporting local business.