Found North Cask Strength Single Barrel Rye Whisky

A little background

According to Found North, they strive to unlock the potential of Canadian distillate by creating unique, complex whiskies keyed to the American whiskey drinker’s palate and bottled with the Bourbon drinker’s mindset — undiluted, non-chill filtered and without additives. To date, each batch of Found North whisky was a careful selection of casks blended to bring out the best and most distinctive qualities of the chosen whiskies. This review is of their most recent release, a cask strength Single Barrel Rye Whisky that started out as a blend of 50% 12-year Rye Whisky, 20% 19-year Rye Whisky, and 30% 21-year Corn Whisky prior to spending 8 months in a new level 3 charred American Oak Barrel for additional maturation. Found North Cask Strength Single Barrel Rye is bottles at 109.4 Proof and has a retail price of $100 USD.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Gold

Nose

Cherry, rice pudding, vanilla, egg custard, a bit if nutmeg.

Palate

Orange marmalade, coconut, lime, chocolate, cinnamon red hits, and coffee.

Finish

Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and coffee, and a dusting of cocoa.

In closing

A decadent rye whiskey that’s a treat from the nose all the way through to the finish. Sweet citrus syrupy notes are prevalent, along with rich cocoa and coffee flavors. Some rye spice eventually come through, however, it’s not a dominant component of this whisky despite its high-rye contents. The mouthfeel is viscous and the finish is long. I found this rye whisky to be exceptional and has my hopes high for what future single barrel release we might see from Found North!

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Found North Whisky. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.