Cask 5686 from Season Four of Found North's Private Barrel Program features a blended mash bill of 71% corn and 29% wheat and was finished in a heavily toasted char #3 new American oak cask before bottling without chill filtration at 117.2 proof.  The rich nose offers dark aromas of french roast coffee and dark chocolate with maple and rich toasted oak.  The palate is sweet and robust with maple, caramel, chocolate, mocha, and sweet oak.  Dark caramel lingers through a lengthy and delightful finish that also features flavors of creme brulee, sweetened coffee, and a touch of spice.  This is the only cask from Season Four that features this combination of wood, char level, and toast level!

Nick and Zach Taylor at Found North have shown a flair for creativity and innovation with each and every release, but the casks created for Season Four of their Single Barrel program may be their most “experimental” yet. Wanting to explore toasted barrel finishes in their own way, the Taylors decided to pair with Kelvin Cooperage to explore the effects of toasting barrels by burning different types of wood. While many barrel makers toast wood with infrared heat (think electric toaster), Kelvin Cooperage toasts their barrels via burning oak. The Taylors wanted to know if using different types of wood as fuel would result in different flavor profiles for the finished whiskies.

The experiment began with a base blend of corn and wheat components* meant to leave “space” for barrel finishing influence to shine. The team then selected four different wood types to use as toasting fuel: American oak, French oak, Spanish oak, and Amburana. They toasted and charred a total of 40 barrels with different toast and char levels and finished the base blend in these barrels. The results were interesting and delicious, and we’re excited to share our favorite barrel with you.

*22% is 21 year old corn, 10% is 20 year old corn, 39% is 15 year old corn, 29% is 8 year old wheat