Found North Batch 009

Description

Batch 009 is a celebration of age. The common dichotomy in whisky is that either age is the be-all-end-all or does not matter. The truth, unsurprisingly, is more nuanced. Old whisky does not necessarily equal good whisky, but old whisky often presents flavors and textures that are unavailable within younger barrels of maturing whisky. 

Batch 009 is our oldest Batch to date. While the cornerstone of this blend is a 19 year old rye finished for over a year in Ruby Port hogsheads, the foundation is a triplet of 23 year old corn components, two of which were aged in New American Oak and one in Bourbon barrels. We used two additional 19 year old whiskies, one corn and one rye, as well as a 22 year old corn and a 26 year old corn component to round out the rest of this 8-whisky tapestry. The resulting blend is dynamic and fragrant and easily the thickest whisky we have ever made.

Flavor Notes

Before Batch 009 touches your lips you can sense its luscious texture. The nose is like crimson velvet, ripe with raspberry compote, laced with butterscotch and tinged with molasses. Beneath the decadent maple and cinnamon overtones lies a black cherry drizzle on lemon-zested buttercream. The secondary notes whisper of black forest cake, garnished with a mint leaf, served à la mode. 

Batch 009 lands with a burst of berry fruit and a sweet baking spice counterpart. The landing dissolves into cinnamon and brown sugar while the fruit notes melt like muscadine grapes rolling thick viscous vanillin oils across the tongue. The dense raw maple notes seep into the side palate, dominating the entire midsection like treacle turned into languid molten lava moving implacably toward the finish. As the rich molasses note reaches the last section it transitions into a triad of wood spice, gentle mint tea and oak tannin, echoing endlessly, reverberating honey, citrus and nutmeg.

Why We Made This Whisky

As whisky lovers, we are enchanted by whiskies that have spent decades resting and evolving in their respective casks. There is an undeniable magic in old whisky. In truth, an 8-whisky Batch, is not something we would have attempted in previous releases. However, as we continue down this path, we have developed an intimate familiarity with our components. This whisky was perfect for the batch process, where we blend fully matured components. It allowed us the precision to weave these extra-aged whiskies together to create a composite that both honors the complexity of the individual whiskies and celebrates the unique layering of flavors that form the final blend.

Manager’s Proof

Adding water to whisky causes an exothermic reaction that releases flavors from the whisky through evaporation. While we favor bottling at cask strength, Manager's Proof is our recommendation for how much water to add to a given Batch release. For Batch 009 we recommend adding 0.2 mls of water to a 50ml pour and letting it rest for 10 minutes. We find this releases a candied red apple note on the nose, enhances the nutmeg quality on the finish and gives the mid-palate a beautiful sticky caramel texture.