Sagamore Spirit announced the release of its-first-ever liqueur: Sagamore Spirit Amaro. 

Made with the same 95% rye distillate used in Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey, the herbal elixir was developed to complement the brand’s core line of rye whiskies, the company notes. To get the recipe just right, Sagamore Spirit’s team of distillers experimented with a variety of premium botanicals that would meld with the brand’s rye distillate, it says. 

The ultimate formula pairs notes of orange, sarsaparilla and cinnamon with the baking spice notes found in the brand’s signature Maryland rye whiskey, the company notes. The result is an amaro that opens with a complex floral nose and closes with a mildly bitter finish — appealing to cocktail aficionados and pure whiskey lovers alike, it says.

“As distillers, we love experimenting, and developing Sagamore Spirit Amaro was a great opportunity to explore ingredients that would blend perfectly with our whiskey’s signature taste profile,” said Ryan Norwood, chief operating officer at Sagamore Spirit, in a statement. “Our standards are exacting, so getting it right took time. There wasn’t a playbook for a rye distillate-based amaro, and our goal was to create something that not only tasted great on its own, but was tailor made for rye whiskey cocktails.”

Rolling out in bottles and Black Manhattan cocktails, Sagamore Spirit Amaro now is available for purchase at on- and off-premise accounts in select markets, including California, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, D.C. at a suggested retail price of $29.99 for a 750-ml bottle. 

sagamorespirit.com