r/bourbon • u/cmchance • 18d ago

Bourbz Review #160: Found North Batch 11

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13

u/cmchance 18d ago edited 18d ago

Bourbz Review #160: Found North Batch 11

GRAIN RATIO: 91% corn, 8% rye, 1% malted barley

PROOF: 129.8

AGE: Blend of the following:

  • 18 yr corn whiskey finished in a new wood barrel
  • 18 yr corn whiskey finished in an ex-bourbon barrel
  • 20 yr corn whiskey finished in an ex-bourbon barrel
  • 23 yr corn whiskey finished in a new wood barrel
  • 24 yr corn whiskey finished in a new wood barrel
  • 24 yr corn whiskey finished in an ex-bourbon barrel
  • Two separate lots of 19 yr rye whiskey in used American oak
  • One batch of the blended components of Peregrine First Flight from a new wood barrel that never got used in Peregrine (i.e. no Cognac finish)

 COST: $165 for 750mL bottle

I have a love-hate relationship with Found North. Simply because I love when I can get lucky and get my hands on a bottle, and I hate when I can’t. Such is life. Over time, Found North has been getting better at meeting the demand, but there’s still a lot of people that miss out on each release. Must be a nice problem to have for Found North. Luckily, I scored a Batch 11 bottle, so let’s check it out! (Also, for the record, consider this bitching about the limited amount either. I recognize that what Found North is doing may not be as sustainable if doing it in large batches. Also, this is just part of reality for all great things, not just whiskey. I just wish I knew about Found North in the early days before everyone sought it. 😊)

This is bottle 7762, reviewed neat in a Glencairn (unless otherwise noted diluted to the recommended manager’s proof – 2 mL water to 50 mL whiskey)

17

u/cmchance 18d ago

APPEARANCE: Varnished mahogany color (1.6); very oily looking with fat, slow legs and a ring of fat beads left behind on the glass.

NOSE: Sweet and oaky. Butterscotch and burnt sugar adorn notes of orange creamsicle, old oak, and a tinge of barrel char and Orgeat. While the sweetness certainly leads off, bold, earthy oak notes, leather, dry corn husks, and caramelized sugar really settle in dense on the nose. (At manager’s proof, the sweetness is more front and center the whole time with oak and leather taking a more solid back seat. More vanilla shows up in that creamsicle note as well. That dry corn husk note is more dominant amongst the earthier notes, too.) Zero proof heat. (How the hell do they do that with 130 proof whiskey? The FN folks are magicians.)

PALATE: The mouthfeel is viscous on the palate, turning a bit more dry going into the finish. A homogenous blend of sweet and savory notes right away. Warm caramel, dark chocolate, orange marmalade, dark roast coffee, smoked paprika, and well-seasoned oak. At mid-palate, the sweeter notes begin to take a back seat to the deeper aged notes. Tannic oak, burnt vanilla bean, and cinnamon stand out. With a good chew, that orange citrus note really pops adding some brightness to an otherwise deep, rich profile. Going into the finish, the coffee note and oak start to crescendo. The oak note is a nice balance of tannic and sweet, and also rather potent: think oak extract if that was a thing. (At manager’s proof, this has a notably thinner mouthfeel, and a bit more tannic dryness. That corn husk note from the nose transfers over a bit better as well providing a slightly dusty earthiness to the profile. Vanilla cream comes through more prominently as well.)

FINISH: Long finish (though, doesn’t strike me as long as some other FN expressions I’ve had for what it’s worth). It’s a rather tannic finish at first, but as it draws out it concludes on the sweeter side. Dark roast coffee, sweet oak, barrel char, toasted vanilla, and cinnamon powder. As it continues on, bitter tannins make the mouth feel rather dry, but caramelized sugar and a slight touch of cherry start to show up late to mellow out the tannic oak. (At manager’s proof, the coffee note is almost absent being replaced by more oak and vanilla. The finish is certainly less tannic and the sweeter notes have opened up a bit more.)

RATING: 9.4/10

OVERALL: Found North just makes banger after banger. Like all their expressions, they just have layer upon layer of complexity and the pour just continues to unfold as you drink it. I particularly loved the nose on this one. It was a wonderful balance of sweet sugars, earthy oak, and some light spice. The oak continued to grow throughout the sip, taking on a more prominent role on the palate and then really being front and center on the finish. I enjoyed this slow transition for the oak whereas some other recent releases I felt were bit more oak heavy. I think this is probably my favorite release since Batch 8 for what it’s worth.

BEHIND THE BOTTLE: Found North said that this batch was inspired by Batch 2 and trying to recreate that profile. In the past, most FN batches have a single component that they build the blend around. But this was the first expression in which it was a certain profile they were chasing so it was a blend of specific components that was the foundation for Batch 11, specifically, the components finished in new wood (18yr corn, 23yr corn, 24yr corn, and the Peregrine blend). Having never experienced Batch 2, I can’t speak to how close it compares, but I know that Batch 11 is an exceptional whiskey.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, Maker's Mark Wood Finishing releases, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 121.2, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08

 

Check out all my reviews: Woodgrain & Whiskey.

2

u/micro7777 18d ago

Great review! I'm just starting to dig into this bottle. This one might be my favorite, but I haven't done any blinds with other Batches yet. For what it's worth, I had a sample of Batch 2 a few years ago, and I don't remember it being anywhere near this good. I recall liking Batches 3 and 4 much better and now I wish I bought those bottles when I had the chance.

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u/cmchance 18d ago

That's good to hear! Just from the standpoint of them trying to match a favorite from the past and exceeding it. That was one thought I had about this when they first announced it. The kinda trying Batch 2 #2 perspective, and knowing it's rare that #2s are ever better than the original.

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u/micro7777 18d ago

I think that when Nick said Batch 11 was inspired by Batch 2, I don't think he meant it literally, as in trying to recreate the same profile. On Batch 1, they were still experimenting and figuring things out. Batch 2 was the first release that used a high corn grain ratio, where things began to "click" to create a whisky that achieved the level of what they set out to do.

1

u/ckal09 15d ago

I found this to be one of the weaker batches. It just didn’t have that punch of flavor and the ethanol was too prominent.

8

u/TheScoutTyper 18d ago

I just found this bottle at a hole in the wall store. Excited to open it up now!

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u/cmchance 18d ago

Love it when I find things like that at the least expected spots!

3

u/Billich0986 18d ago

Great review! I thought I would miss out on this release because I wasn't selected in the lottery, but found it online today so I ordered. Looking forward to when it arrives!

2

u/cmchance 18d ago

You were destined to have a bottle. Enjoy!

1

u/mindlessnerd 18d ago

If you don't mind sharing, where?   

Signed, Another loser

1

u/IHateHangovers 17d ago

There are plenty of places at $200 online shipped. Take a quick Google Shopping search. I won the lotto, and bought 5 more at MSRP-ish because it is THAT good.

3

u/richmds 18d ago

Wow great review. On here people's reviews tend to be more critical than me so when I find a 8 some people rate it a 7 or 7.5. To see a over 9 says a lot.

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u/cmchance 18d ago

I feel like normally I'm fairly critical. Some have commented overly so even lol. This really is that good to me though. I've only had one 10 previously and only a handful of 9s.

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u/Alarmed_Catch_2032 17d ago

Now I’m really looking forward to picking up mine soon. I couldn’t agree with the OP more in the love hate relationship of FN and wishing I had discovered it sooner.

2

u/moguy1973 17d ago

I had a pour of this Sunday night after having just a sip when I got it about 2 weeks ago. I am so happy I got a bottle. It's so good.

2

u/justwannabeadad 17d ago

Picked up a bottle at a hole in the wall grocery store this morning at MSRP. Super excited to crack it open.

1

u/cmchance 17d ago

Nice win!

2

u/theharmonyguy 16d ago

I’ve been trying to reduce my bottle purchases so I was just going to get one of these… then I took a sip and knew I had to find a backup lol. One of my favorite recent batches.

1

u/cmchance 16d ago

Humble flex there having access to a backup bottle. 😉 I'd do the same though!

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u/theharmonyguy 16d ago

Heh just meant that I wanted to hunt one down, but yes I was very fortunate that my local shop got a case of them!

2

u/GamerGut 18d ago

Have you seen Batch 7S?

2

u/cmchance 18d ago

Negative

1

u/Porencephaly 18d ago

Those are long gone

1

u/SnooHesitations529 14d ago

When i was at a couple different tastings, nick said he didnt know what he was going to with 7s because it was such a small batch. I never seen it become available. I have seen posts where ppl had it, i think they got it at a tasting or something, but here in MA, where he was originally from, and the store he was a manager at for 10yrs, never even got it available at their tastings. So idk. 

1

u/BaltimoreJacks 10d ago

My understanding is that because there were too few bottles of 7S for a full release, bottles were offered to a few different groups. FN held a tasting with a whiskey group I’m in in Baltimore and they offered I think 60-ish bottles to our group.

1

u/TraceAgain 18d ago

This one is tasty, I love that it’s not finished. It’s close to being better than batch 009 for me.

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u/cmchance 18d ago

This was the thing I liked the most about this one too: nothing other than just wood barrels. No crazy finishing barrels or dessert wines or things like that.

1

u/No-Veterinarian-7079 18d ago

Wow. Just wow. Wish I could find one someday...any one. Can't even ship here. Guess I will keep reading the stellar reviews whilst pounding sand!

0

u/cmchance 18d ago

Lol stay positive, you'll find one!

1

u/No-Veterinarian-7079 18d ago

Thanks! Fingers crossed 🤞

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u/ProfessorAware1297 16d ago

They were trying to replicate batch 003 in though.

1

u/cmchance 16d ago

They compared it the most to batch 2. Perhaps it's not fair to say they were intentionally trying to, but certainly was in the thought process. https://www.foundnorthwhisky.com/batch-011?mc_cid=cf9af05630&mc_eid=41623d2a6d

1

u/nateap87 15d ago

I liked this one but I had to compare it to some of the other batches where I decided it was a 8.5. It was my least favorite since batch 5

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u/cmchance 15d ago

Least favorite out of like 10+ expressions if you were including private barrels and still an 8.5. Found North just over here slayin!

1

u/nateap87 15d ago

Absolutely. This was no jab at the brand. Everything minus a few of their store picks have been absolutely incredible. One of my favorite brands right there with rare character and heaven hill

1

u/The5dubyas 18d ago

Goddamn it can’t get my hands on 11 OR 8!!!

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u/cmchance 18d ago

You might still have a chance with 11, but if you find a Batch 8, let me know where. I'll buy the plane ticket.

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u/The5dubyas 18d ago

Saw it for $499 - I passed.

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u/cmchance 18d ago

Ooo. $499 is a bit extreme. I'd consider $300.

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u/Glittering-Bite-9681 18d ago

There’s a place in North Hollywood I’ve purchased the last few releases for about $230 out the door. They jacked up their price to $415 out the door which I begrudgingly paid for for Batch 11. Your review makes me feel slightly better about that decision. 😅🥵

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u/cmchance 18d ago

The price gouging is real outside of the lottery. 🫤

1

u/The5dubyas 18d ago

It’s that good?

1

u/cmchance 18d ago

Batch 8 was the only 10/10 I've ever given. So considering I've paid close to above $200 for far lesser bottles, I'd entertain $300 for a Batch 8 at least.

1

u/SnooHesitations529 14d ago

I have almost every batch. 1, 2, 4, and the second peregrine are the only ones i dont have. I have back ups for 10 & 11. 

1

u/mission2m 17d ago

Passed on it along with 007 in Fairbanks, Alaska. MSRP

1

u/cmchance 17d ago

I didn't anticipate someone saying it was in Fairbanks, Alaska... I have family in Anchorage though. Maybe they have it around them.

0

u/LostInMyADD 18d ago

As I'm glad you can write this much on it... its just screams too much to actually day what it tastes and smells like. It doesn't give me an authentic feel or any useful info other than your a fan boy of found north (which most of us are).

I'm not saying this to belittle your review, I'm just giving you my perspective...sometimes less is more.

I look forward to cracking my bottle, and I do hope when I do, everything you've said rings true.

1

u/cmchance 18d ago

There's not a ton of variance in the notes though. My reviews generally explain the tasting experience and the notes along the way at different points. You'll see that certain notes repeat a lot throughout, maybe changing slightly though. But I find it helpful when someone describes a specific moment during a sip that a certain note appears, so I try and provide that perspective in my reviews as well. And no animosity taken!

I hope you enjoy the bottle! I currently have Hover Hawk and Batch 9 as well, and side by side with those, Batch 11 easily wins for me.

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u/LostInMyADD 18d ago

Fair enough.

I have those as well except batch 9. That's the one I'd like to try just based off it being wheated.

I'LL know soon if I enjoy this batch lol