Snow Day First Flurry

The Blend

For Snow Day, rather than strictly follow the High Altitude or Batch process, we focused on capturing the flavors we most associate with winter. This led us down a path of high-rye and port finishing casks. The process became more and more complex as we employed all of the techniques we have honed over the years. We used an array of old interesting components, including several barrels of Goldfinch and Peregrine in order to reach the final blend.

The whisky began with a 2015 vintage rye. As the centerpiece of the blend, the rye represents about 45% of the liquid. Rye is a challenging raw ingredient. It is spicy and dry and rough and has a dozen opportunities over 10 years to take a harsh turn. Our affinity for this rye was rooted in its age. It had matured past the green, vegetal stage of rye, while retaining its heavy spice. The herbaceous notes never tipped into bitterness or over-oaked astringency, maintaining florality and freshness. In sum, it was very well balanced.

Nonetheless, we imagined a rounder body and a palate with more fruit-driven sweetness to compliment the spice. To accomplish this, we used the High Altitude process for a portion of this whisky, by creating the following blend:

- 50% 2015 vintage rye
- 5% 22 year rye in ex-bourbon
- 28% 15 year corn aged in new wood
- 10% 22 year corn in ex-bourbon
- 6% 15 year corn in ex-bourbon
- 1% 20 year corn in ex-bourbon

We further matured this portion of Snow Day for nearly 4 months in a selection of charred American oak and toasted French and European oak casks that held ruby, rosé, and white ports.

We selected 29 of the 37 barrels we laid down to create the final rye component for our blend.

- 4 French Oak Ruby Port
- 6 European Oak Ruby Port
- 3 French Oak Rosé Port
- 2 French Oak White Port
- 6 Kelvin, New American Oak, Heavy Toast, Char #1
- 8 Kelvin, New American Oak, Heavy Toast, Char #2

This finished portion of Snow Day made up 89.1% of the final vatting.

We then added a portion of several Goldfinch casks, and a Peregrine First Flight Cognac Cask.

We also included a corn blend of 22 year corn aged in new American oak combined with 26 year corn aged in Hungarian oak.

Lastly, we used a blend of two separate vintages of 19 year corn aged in ex-bourbon to round out the profile.

The Full Snow Day Composition:

- 89.1% blend of ryes and corns between 10 and 22 years aged in 4 different port-cask types and 2 new wood types
- 6.9% vatting of new wood and sauternes aged Goldfinch
- 1% single Peregrine First Flight cognac cask
- 1% blend of 22 year corn aged in new American oak and 26 year corn aged in Hungarian oak
- 2% blend of 2 different vintages of 19 year corn aged in ex-bourbon

There are 20 total component whiskies in this blend, aged in 12 different cask types, ranging from 10-26 years.

Why so Complex?

Snow Day is not complex for the sake of being complex. We had an idea of how to make the foundational rye component better through blending and further maturation. After we shaped the rye into its best form, we saw ways to continue to make the blend more dynamic.

The Goldfinch and Peregrine casks were perfect for amplifying and diversifying the fruit quality. The additional corn blends, in particular the sprinkling of old Hungarian oak, extended the spice profile on the finish.

While the process may seem intricate, the goal was simple - use the right whiskies to make the best possible final blend.

Flavor, Textural Profile and Progression

Snow Day has the simple beauty of a clean sheet of fresh snow with layers of texture and complexity beneath the surface. It is both supremely drinkable and worthy of deep exploration. The progressions, harmonies and themes are linear as it moves from sweet to spicy, creamy to crackling, mild to medium tannin and vibrant white fruits to dark red fruits. The length and resonance of the baking spice finish captures the overarching wintry theme.

It presents two distinct rye harmonies.

The first is the light earthy, herbal nature of rye coupled with brighter, sweeter orchard fruits, manifesting a combination of white tea with pink peaches and mint and a very round refreshing texture. The second embodies the side of rye characterized by baking spices partnered with red fruit and tannin - presenting cinnamon and ginger, velvety vanillins, gripping texture and dark berry compote.

While the overtones follow a steady progression from light to dark, you can get lost for an evening in the undertones, secondary and tertiary notes. Beneath the vanillins are new wood phenolic compounds that reveal burnt caramel and roasted hazelnut. After the mint subsides you will find a fragrant honeysuckle florality and orange blossoms. Along with the white tea there is wild flower honey and ground nutmeg. Parsing through the dense mixed-berry compote, reveals blackberries, huckleberries and raspberries that linger deep into the finish.

Nose

Rye earth tones: moss, pine needles, lavender, white tea, rye fields, honeysuckle
Baking spice: cloves, cinnamon, ginger
Berry fruits: blackberries, cherry, raspberry jam, pomegranate, huckleberry
Citrus fruits: blood orange
Orchard fruits: white peach, ambrosia apples, apricots
Wood lactones: hazelnut, roasted marshmallow, maple, honey, caramel
Wood spice: pine, cedar

Lab Notes

First Quadrant: Texturally, the landing presents a bright creaminess that is predominant in the front and mid-palate. The landing flavors match the creamy texture with oak lactones, white fruits, red berry fruits as well as sweetness, florality and mild herbal notes.

Second Quadrant: A crackling grip sets in through the middle and sides of the palate in tandem with baking spice, brown sugar sweetness and mild herbal notes. Vanillins are nuttier with caramel undertones. The fruit has a zesty citrus quality.

Third Quadrant: From a flavor standpoint the whisky builds into the third quadrant. The fruit notes darken, getting a dense sweetness. The creamy profile also has phenolics, beginning the transition from earthy spice into a heavier baking spice.

Fourth Quadrant: The combination of tannin and rye both from a texture and flavor standpoint begin to dominate the back of the palate leading into the resolve. The finish shows undertones of wood with dense caramel and oak phenols. Red fruits continue to darken on the latter part of the Fourth quadrant.

Resolve: Very long resolve, primarily woodspice, red fruit, and cinnamon.

How to Drink this Whisky

It’s a borderline crime not to add water to Snow Day at least once. To reach Manager’s Proof add 1.25mls of water to a 50ml pour. At Manager’s Proof there is an astonishing tempering of the spice and a corresponding deluge of berries. The viscosity fully develops, inundating the entire palate. The spice purrs like a fat puppy, turning belly up, sweet and soft, adding a dollop of brown sugar to your cinnamon sweetness.

Why we Made this Whisky

This whisky is emblematic of how we think about whisky and how we approach whisky making. Our mailing list is the gathering place of Found North. In combining those two things we get Snow Day, our concept of a winter festival release.

Media Reviews on Snow Day

Found North Snow Day First Flurry - Mostly Bourbon

Finally… A Winter Whiskey Worth Talking About. - Last Dram Standing
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Review #2612 – Found North Snow Day 10 Year First Flurry (2025 Release) - Jay West (T8ke)
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The Whisky That Changed The Game In 2025! - The Bourbon Judge

Found North Snow Day - Brewtally Honest Bourbon

Episode 387: Found North Snow Day - Chill Filtered

Found North Snow Day First Flurry 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky - WhiskeyInMyWeddingRing

Found North Snow Day 10 Year Cask Strength Whisky - Whiskey Consensus‍

The Perfect Winter Whisky? Found North Snow Day First Flurry Review - Stuff & Whiskey

Review #723 - Found North Snow Day First Flurry - Me, My Wife and Whisky‍