Age, components, and cask type:
18yr Corn, New American oak.
18yr Corn, Ex-bourbon casks.
20yr Corn, Ex-bourbon.
23yr Corn, New American oak.
24yr Corn, Ex-bourbon.
24yr Corn, New American oak.
19yr Rye, Ex-bourbon.
19yr Rye, Ex-bourbon.
20yr Peregrine First Flight, New American oak (key component).
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 25 minutes, both at original proof and at the suggested Manager’s Proof, adding 2.0ml (40 drops) of water to a 50ml (1.7 oz.) pour.
Distilled In Canada: Blended at cask strength and bottled by Found North Whisky. No additives, non-chill filtered.
Proof: 129.8.
Age: 18 to 24 years.
Batch#: : 011. Aged in new American and ex-bourbon barrels.
Grain Ratio: 91% Corn/8% Rye/1% Malted Barley.
Price: $164.99.
Appearance: Copper.
Nose
Dark brown sugar, crème brûlée, chocolate, orange citrus, cinnamon spice, green tea, rosemary, floral, blackberries, baked apple, raisins, and toasted oak. With time, the oak becomes sweeter, bringing notes of butterscotch, Werther’s caramel, vanilla beans, more berries, root beer, and subtle wood smoke.
Palate
The palate matches the nose with a creamy, viscous mouthfeel. Dark brown sugar, crème brûlée, butterscotch, chocolate, blackberries, baked apples, floral, green tea, and nutmeg. A strong yet balanced cinnamon spice bursts in mid-sip, covering the entire palate, bringing with it more toasted oak.
Finish
Cinnamon spice lingers on the palate with chocolate, cherries, vanilla, nutmeg, and toasted oak. This has an oak-driven finish that seems to go on forever, carrying with it spice, pipe tobacco, and some dryness towards the very end.
Conclusion
Although Batch 002 was the inspiration for Batch 011, I didn’t think it was fantastic at the time. Batch 004 was significantly better, and from there, Found North continued to improve. According to Nick Taylor, the initial plan for Found North as a brand was to release high-quality Canadian rye whisky. That’s why Batch 001 was a rye whisky with a 66% rye, 30% corn, 4% malted barley grain ratio. When they started Batch 002, it initially began as another rye whisky using 70% rye, 30% corn, but as they increased the corn component, they noticed an improvement. As a result, Batch 002 ended up with a grain ratio of 80% corn, 19% rye, 1% malted barley, and was more popular than Batch 001. Found North repeated the process by making Batch 003 a rye whisky and Batch 004 another corn-dominant whisky. Again, Batch 004 was more popular, and the rest is history. That’s not to say Found North stopped creating rye whiskey; instead, they used it for their custom “single barrel” Season releases.
For perspective, I compared Batch 011 with other non-wine finished Batches 006 and 007. This reminded me of how different, yet the same, Found North Batch releases are. All three of these releases are excellent in their own way, and it comes down to personal preferences at this point. Batch 006 is the sweetest of the three, 007 is a bit darker and more complex. Batch 011 has less complexity than 007 but features a rich, darker oak profile that resembles an American bourbon profile more than previous Found North releases.
I had a pour at the suggested Batch 011 Manager’s proof, which requires more water added than any other Found North Manager’s proof suggestion. For me, that’s way too much water, but I found that adding about 7 to 10 drops of water to 2 ounces sweetened up the oak, added more stone fruit, softened up the spice, and made it more complex. It reminded me of Batch 007, and I liked it. On the flip side, it removed some (or all) of the rich oak characteristics that make this release unique and shortened the finish.
Found North Batch 011 pays homage to their early batches, and I was happy for the change. The more I got into it, the more I loved it, just as much as Batch 007 and, dare I say it, more than Batch 006. As I mentioned earlier, at this level, it comes down to your preferences, but the best thing about this brand is their track record of delivering exceptional whisky.
Rating: 9.0/10.
The notes taken for this review come from a sample Found North provided me at no cost, without any stipulations, and from a retail bottle I purchased. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
