Me: Can you please elaborate on how and why the 19-year Rye Ruby Port Cask is the key component for Batch 009, even though the rye grain ratio makes up only 8% of the batch?
Nick: As to our concept of “key component” – Basically, when we blend, we usually structure the whisky around a certain component in the blend. It is about a flavor profile that we are trying to enhance or compliment. The corn components we use often have very particular layers of flavor and texture that complement each other and the rye. We have some that give fat, some that give sweetness, some that give tannin, etc. They provide a platform that will enrich and enhance the characteristics of the ryes that we use. When we are blending, we usually will find a rye or a combination of rye and corn that provides a flavor theme for the whisky, and then we blend the corns around that theme to make it better. Thinking about it from a musical perspective, the key component is the melody. Once we have the melody, the rest of the music is about complimenting the melody. Really it has very little to do with “how much” of the liquid is in the blend and more about how the flavor profile of the whisky features within the entire construct of the song (the blend).
Me: Was the 90% corn grain ratio in Batch 009 something that you set out to do intentionally, or did it happen “organically” by creating a particular profile that you had in mind or something else?
Nick: We don’t ever set out with a particular blend in mind or a particular grain ratio. Our blending process is much more about examining what whiskies we have, imagining how they might work together. Once we actually start combining the whisky, usually we find ourselves loving a concept or a theme and it is about how changing the ratios or adding/subtracting certain components will reshape the presentation of the entire whisky.
Me: You’ve used Hungarian Oak in many Found North releases. What are its primary flavor characteristics, and how does it influence the overall flavor profile?
Nick: We adore Hungarian Oak. It provides a rich baking spice profile that resonates with our team. Nutmeg, Cinnamon and gingerbread.
The eight components that makeup Batch 009 are :
19 yr Rye, Ruby Port (Key Component Cask).
19 yr Rye, Hungarian Oak.
19 yr Corn, used American Oak.
22 yr Corn, new American Oak.
23 yr Corn, new American Oak.
23 yr Corn, new American Oak.
23 yr Corn, used American Oak.
26 yr Corn, Hungarian Oak.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes, both at original proof and at the suggested Manager’s Proof, adding 4 drops of water to a 1.5-ounce pour.
Distilled In Canada: Blended at cask strength and bottled by Found North Whisky. No additives, non-chill filtered.
Proof: 124.6.
Age: 19 to 26 years.
Batch #: 009. Aged in Ruby Port, new and used American and Hungarian oak casks.
Grain Ratio: 91% Corn/8% Rye/1% Malted Barley.
Price: $164.99.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
The nose leads with a rich berry compote of raspberries and strawberries, figs, butterscotch, pralines, hazelnuts, vanilla beans, green tea, cloves, nutmeg, lemon citrus, floral, allspice, and toasted oak. As the session continues, the caramel gets sweeter with maple, and the herbaceous notes become more pronounced. This is very complex, with favors bobbing and weaving every time I put my nose to the glass.
At Manager’s Proof: The cinnamon spice is softer, and the oak flavors of butterscotch and pralines are sweeter, along with hazelnuts and more vanilla and floral. The red berries are not nearly as intense, but stone fruit flavors of apricots are present. The herbaceous flavors are there, too, but toned down a bit.
Palate
The nose carries to the palate, leading with a rich mix of raspberries and strawberries, butterscotch, hazelnuts, maple, toasted oak, vanilla beans, figs, green tea, cloves, and nutmeg. Cinnamon spice covers the palate with a creamy, viscous mouthfeel. This is an incredibly complex, balanced, and delicious pour that drinks well under its proof.
At Manager’s Proof: The nose carries on to the palate with a creamy mouthfeel but less viscous. The cinnamon spice is softer but still does a great job of covering the palate, creating an even easier drinking experience. There’s more toasted oak and stone fruit coming through, but again, with less berries. The green tea and nutmeg flavors are less intense, as is the overall flavor profile compared to the original proof.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues with berries, butterscotch, hazelnuts, vanilla, lemon zest, and oak. As spice settles down, tannins of well-aged oak and pipe tobacco enter, lingering to the end of a long finish with a slight dryness at the end.
At Manager’s Proof: Gentle Cinnamon spice continues with berries, apricots, vanilla, and lemon zest. Soft oak tannins linger with spice to the end of a long finish with less dryness at the end
Conclusion
Batch 009 is by far the most berry-forward standard batch release Found North has produced. Aside from being a delicious berry bomb, there are other incredible supporting oak and herbaceous-influenced flavors that come through on every sip. I particularly love the hazelnuts and toasted oak. After trying Batch 009 at Manager’s Proof (twice), I prefer this batch at its original proof. Manager’s Proof on the Nose created some interesting trade-offs but lost too much of what I loved about this batch at its original strength overall. Still, I recommend giving it a try.
I was somewhat skeptical about how Found North would match or top their previous batches until I put my nose to the glass. My knee-jerk reaction to Batch 009 was that it was my favorite batch until I made side-by-side comparisons to other Found North batches. This was a good reminder of what I loved about previous batches and how they stood on their own unique characteristics. Batch 009 isn’t the most complex of all the Found North batches, but there is still a lot of complexity with a perfectly balanced, berry-forward flavor profile that I just love. This makes me look forward to what Nick has in store for us in Batch 010. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Found North batch with a grain ratio that was rye or wheat dominant, so maybe we’ll see that in a future batch release.
Rating: 9.3/10.
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 later. 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.
