I’ve been sitting on a pair of Found North samples for some time now. When I decided it was time to finally sit down and give the brand its just due, I knew I’d prefer to start with a full-fledged review if I could help it. This is why my first Found North review didn’t end up being for Batch 001, as much as I’d have liked it to be. Not to mention the likelihood of me scoring this (and a batch from a future review) less generously would’ve gone up had I not waited.

So here we are with Found North Batch 001, effectively the one that put them on the radar, back when they were still mostly undiscovered. Although many of Found North’s subsequent releases lean into corn, Batch 001 was predominantly rye-forward. Comprised of three whiskies ranging from 16-20 years old, this inaugural release took 16-year rye aged in Hungarian oak, a 17-year rye aged in ex-Speyside scotch casks, and a 20-year double-distilled corn whiskey aged in refill and level 2 char virgin oak casks before marrying together. The final result, which Found North said was meant to “demonstrate the dynamism of aged rye,” came out to 57.1% ABV at cask strength with neither chill filtration nor additives while yielding 1,327 bottles.

Nose: Cantaloupe, Cardamom, Lychee, White Grape

Bright, Fruity, Mildly Floral

Palate: Juicy Fruit, Green Apple, Watermelon Sour, Melon

Vibrant, Fruity, Viscous

Finish: Red Apple, White Pepper, White Grape, Elderflower

Bitter, Balanced Spice, Long

Color me surprised; this is a really fun pour that proved to be thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Although the fruity and slightly floral nature of the nose wasn’t altogether surprising, the way it translated to the sipping experience was. This is a fruit explosion upfront before transitioning to more of a bitter, slightly sour fruit profile that simply works. Then there’s a finish, which begins with more balanced bitterness and spice. Subsequent sips see this experience become even better, with the fruit increasingly creeping into the finish, making the transition far more natural. The best part (spoiler warning)? Almost none of the off-putting aerosol-meets-melting-plastic vibes I’ve gotten in most other Found North products.

The magic of this inaugural release seems to be in the combination of a rye-heavy blend composition and the use of Speyside scotch casks. I’m surprised to call the latter out since, while nosing, I’d forgotten this detail and that ubiquitous white grape note briefly reminded me of it. Then I double-checked the batch information and lo and behold, everything started adding up. And what these qualities added up to was a exciting, unique take on rye that Found North should definitely pursue more of in the future.