The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2017

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 7 of 120

december 2017  /  the tasting panel  /  7 Thoroughbred mares and their colts—"all fillies this year," says our guide—nuzzle and snort in the brisk October morning air. White rail fences stretch across the lush, gently-rolling landscape, separating paddock from paddock in bucolic Maryland horse country just 25 miles north of bustling Baltimore. Trainers in riding gear walk yearlings down stately rows of trees. A lonely palomino quarter horse leans over the fence for a rub on the nose, while a couple of black-and- white farm cats, part of a feral but friendly population, seek attention outside the stables. This is Sagamore Farm, the Thoroughbred estate in Glyndon, Maryland, once owned by the Vanderbilt family. The farm now serves as the heart and soul of a new breed of Maryland rye whiskey: Sagamore Spirit. Our guide is Rachel Cook, the young and vibrant Brand Director for Sagamore Spirit. The Baltimore-based whiskey brand was co-founded by Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO of multi-billion-dollar sports cloth- ing company Under Armour, also based in Baltimore. Sagamore Farm, where the team's unabashed goal is to win the Triple Crown (a "W" flag is raised at the farm and at the distillery each time a Sagamore horse wins), is not only the whiskey brand's spiritual home but also the horse- powered driver of a "made in Maryland" ethos. Promoting Maryland is a number-one priority for native son Plank. The unique Maryland flag—featuring the heraldry of the Calvert and Crossland families, who were progenitors of Maryland's colonial-era gov- ernor Lord Baltimore—is prominently and proudly flown at Sagamore, adding to the charming allure of this historic place. Once owned by the Vanderbilt family, Sagamore Farm is now home to the Sagamore Spirit barrel-aging barn and a stable of Thoroughbred horses. The distinctive six-sided bottles that hold Sagamore Spirit are modeled on those used by early Maryland distiller W.T. Walters. Rachel Cook is the Brand Director for Sagamore Spirit. by David Gadd / photos by Ronnie Nettles

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - December 2017