Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distilled In Canada: Blended at cask strength and bottled by Found North Whisky. No additives, non-chill filtered.
Proof: 123.2.
Age, components, and cask type:
22yr Corn, New American Oak.
23yr Corn, Used American Oak.
24yr Corn, Used American Oak.
27yr Corn, New Hungarian Oak.
15yr Rye, Used French Oak.
18yr Rye, Used French Oak.
Additional finishing: Additional finishing: Four months in Moscatel and new American oak casks (Kelvin Cooperage, heavy toast, char #3).
Grain Ratio: 66% 90% Corn/9% Rye/1% Malted Barley.
Price: $159.99.
Bottle run: 4,536.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
Wow, there’s a lot going on here! I’m simultaneously drawn to the barrel character flavors of dark chocolate, toffee, and butterscotch and the fruit notes of red berry reduction sauce, figs, apricots, and orange marmalade. More nosing brings out a lot of vanilla beans, with almonds, nutmeg, cloves, floral, and allspice. I love the balance between the oak and fruit flavors with a moderate amount of proof heat that doesn’t get in the way. After more sips, sweeter flavors of root beer, chocolate-covered raisins, and Werther’s caramel appear. The Moscatel influence is evident throughout, but it’s meticulously blended to allow the barrel character flavors to shine. This nose is fantastic.
Palate
With a creamy, viscous mouthfeel, the palate is met with toffee, chocolate, butterscotch, and toasted oak, along with fruit notes of red berry reduction, apricots with orange peel, nutmeg, vanilla, and almonds. Cayenne spice gains momentum mid-sip and covers the whole palate, adding a nice balance that complements the sweeter notes.
Finish
As the spice fades, chocolate, toffee, raisins, berries, orange citrus, vanilla, cloves, and toasted oak come back around. Soft pipe tobacco weaves in and out as time passes, leaving the sip with chocolate, raisins, and red berries with no tannic bitterness. This is a long and excellent finish that shows off the age and complexity of this whisky.
Conclusion
I compared Hover Hawk to Found North Batch 9 for its Ruby Port finishing and very similar grain ratio, as well as Found North Batch 7 and Found North Peregrine. As much as I love Found North’s standard Batch releases, the High Altitude Peregrine and Hover Hawk releases are more complex and layered. Compared to Hover Hawk, Peregrine has a thicker mouthfeel, with a darker and more mature profile emphasizing its barrel character with less influence from its ex-cognac barrel finishing. Whereas the fruit coming from Hover Hawk’s Moscatel finishing has much more influence on its profile and is more on par with its barrel character flavors. I place Hover Hawk closely behind Peregrine (which is saying a lot), but I can easily see how others might have the opposite opinion based on their tastes.
It’s also worth mentioning how much Hover Hawk opened up over time. Although this can be said for many barrel-proof whiskies, Hover Hawk’s improvement was significant. Once I got past the neck pour, I noticed sweeter barrel flavors and deeper red berries coming forward with a more balanced spice on the palate. Give this bottle some time, and you’ll be rewarded with greater complexity and a more enjoyable drinking experience. Hover Hawk is another incredible Found North release that meets the high expectations I’ve come to expect from this brand. I’m very glad to have scored a bottle, and I hope Found North can increase production in the coming years and allow more people to experience releases like this one.
Rating: 9.5/10.
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.
