.jpg)
Found North is the brainchild of brothers Nick and Zach Taylor with the stated goal of making Canadian Whisky that appeals to the most passionate of enthusiasts. While most historic Canadian brands are smooth and light bodied, the Taylor brothers emphasize full-proof, unadulterated blends often with interesting finishes. Unlike most single barrel programs, Found North utilizes a blended finishing process by which the core blend for each "season" is batched and then re-racked into finish barrels. Picks occur from the individual finished casks. Component whiskies are sourced from a variety of Canadian distillers at high age points. This bottle is from Season Five which is an experiment crossing high maturity rye with casks sourced from Europe. It is finished in ex-sauternes casks. I was not familiar with Sauternes but it is a sweet white wine from the region of the same name in France. Sauternes wine is made from a combination of Sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea (fungus), also known as the noble rot. The fungus causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines which have a decent acid zest and notes like apricots, honey, and peaches (sometimes nuts as well).
🛒Sourced: $49.99 for 750ml from Tower Beer, Wine, and Spirits, GA - reduced from $89.99
🧪Proof: 110.6 proof, 55.3% ABV
🎨Color: R4 - a nice medium red brown
🥔Mash Bill & Production: 53% Rye, 45% Corn, 2% Barley
- Age - NAS, blended from 10-20 year-old components and then finished (20YR rye, 12YR rye, 10YR rye, 16YR corn and 14YR corn). The single barrel is picked after blending and finishing of that blend.
- Distillation Proof - Unknown, multiple
- Barrel Entry Proof - Unknown, multiple
- Pick Info:
- Season - 5
- Case - 5959
- Bottle - 192
- Char - Unknown, likely multiple for the source components
- Batch Size - Single Barrel
- Chill Filtered - No, all Found North whiskies are NCF with no coloring added
👃Nose: Excellent nose that's simultaneously very approachable and full. I get plenty of rye character, dill, tarragon, and white pepper, with an underlying sweetness that helps fold it all together lovingly. There's a clove brightness with a hint of candied date which is quite nice.
😜Palate: Holy smokes this thing is dangerous; I would swear to you that it's 80 proof or less. Initial flavor is more floral but tapers nicely into what is readily recognizable as the apricots and honey promised by the fungus.
💦Finish: A slight bite of acid and flash of stone fruit quickly peak and fade away for a short but satisfying punctuation.
🏆 Overall: 7.5/10 - Great - The greatness in this bottle is easy to identify. Nose is delightful. Palate is nuanced and balanced. I could go for a little more body but the lightness probably contributes to the drinkability. Finish is in a good spot. The pick team and Found North did a great job with this one!
💵Would buy again? Yes, particularly at this price point!
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously
🙈Blind Tastings:
- Not Yet Bind Tested