Background

All aboard the hype train, choo choo! Last I looked, Found North: Peregrine had something like 8 straight 10/10 reviews on r/bourbon. My peers have written about it better than I ever will, and I suspect many will skip down to see if the streak of 10/10s continues (spoiler alert: great bottle but for me it’s not and that’s ok!) so I won’t bother with the SLIGHTEST bit of useful background. Read the fantastic u/Prettayyprettaygood‘s review if you want actual information.

Instead, I will tell you how growing up in my elementary school days I was fucking obsessed with the series Animorphs. I read them so much my 3rd grade teacher told my dad he was worried I was reading them too much. My dad, in a moment I still greatly respect, told my teacher to kick rocks because his kid was reading constantly so as long as I wasnt actually trying to leap off buildings like a bird who the fuck cared. That was my first exposure to Peregrine Falcons, as Jake, the Animorphs stoic leader, could morph into one. I’ll admit, I tumbled into a DEEP Animorphs wiki hole while writing this, I forgot it gets quite dark towards the end actually. Jake commits alien genocide and a bunch of them die. So yeah, Animorphs, thanks for teaching me how much Peregrine Falcons rule.

Found North Peregrine First Flight (20 Years, 126.2 Proof)

Nose: There’s an exceptionally inviting, creamy sweetness. At times it presents as creme brulee, others more of a sticky toffee. There’s occasional notes of chocolate and a delicate herbal influence, almost eucalyptus.

Palate: First things first is the texture, which is very sticky and oily, I would imagine it's from the cognac. Lemon custard, creamy caramel, and muddled mint anchor a thick, viscous palate.

Finish: A crescendo of spices, delicate smoked citrus, and oak. It’s a bit too wood driven for me if I’m being honest, coming across a little less like a delicately aged spirit and more like licking a stave. Leather, black pepper, and pipe tobacco also persist. What’s wild is that a few minutes after the sip, it stays coating the palate and back of the throat.

Great to Excellent (7.5/10)

Overall: This is undoubtedly a delicious whiskey, and my knocks on it largely revolve around it tasting a bit more like the sum of its parts then something cohesive. I do find those parts to be delicious in and of themselves, but the palate tastes pretty cognac driven with the finish seemingly drawing from the new American oak casks. The texture is phenomenally fun, and initial concerns of cloying sweetness from the nose dissipate immediately upon letting it wash over the palate. One thing I do find rather confusing are the comparisons of this to say, George T Stagg. Look, everyone's palate is their own and that’s totally cool if people find them similar. Personally, I do not in the slightest; no Stagg I have had has ever been this syrupy. There’s not a hint of those Buffalo Trace cherry notes. All in all though, a super enjoyable blend.