The Art of Barrel Picking and Blending (A Whiskey/Rum Zoom Tasting)

#1 : “THE MOTHER“
JAWS 1 (Raising Glasses Release 1, 2019)
New Riff Bourbon, 4 yr, 56.1% ABV, Barrel 15-5795
Outturn: 234 Bottles

Our first private pick was a cask strength bourbon hand selected at the ultra-trendy New Riff distillery in Kentucky with the Josephine Avenue Whiskey Society (J.A.W.S.) and Nick Taylor (Found North Whiskey). Read about our picking experience here!

New Riff whiskeys are currently unavailable (no distribution) in MA, so we had to drive the bottles AND the barrel all the way from Kentucky back to Boston. This “JAWS 1” pick sold out immediately to our buying group, so this is probably the last public tasting of the barrel that started it all!

#2 : “THE FIRST DAUGHTER”
YOUNG AMERICANS (Raising Glasses Rel. 2, Spring 2020)
Privateer Rum (Rich/Fine Recipe)
3 yr (with 7 month finish in New Riff bourbon barrel)
54.2% ABV
Outturn: 225 Bottles
Released in partnership with Burlington Wine & Spirits

We dropped the JAWS 1 barrel off at the Privateer Rum distillery in Ipswich, MA … but what to age in it? Maggie Campbell arranged a tasting of 5 different barrels – we went in assuming we’d go with one of their spectacular Queen’s Share barrels but another selection was not to be denied. Finished for 7 months in the extremely “wet” JAWS 1 barrel (wrapped in plastic right after the bottling of the original bourbon), “Young Americans” hit that sweet spot of heavy bourbon influence meeting the rich backbone of Privateer Rum. It’s the ultimate crossover rum for bourbon lovers!

#3 : “THE SECOND DAUGHTER”
NOTORIOUS RUM BG (Raising Glasses Rel. 3, Fall 2020)
Privateer Rum, Bottled in Bond 50% ABV
4 yr (with 6 month finish in New Riff bourbon barrel)
Outturn: 230 Bottles
Released in partnership with Norfolk Wine and Spirits

Maggie judged our fearsome JAWS 1 barrel to be still frisky and hungry, so immediately after the dumping of Young Americans, we fed it a cask of Privateer’s excellent Bottled in Bond juice. To qualify as “Bottled in Bond”, a spirit must be aged 4 years minimum in a government supervised facility and bottled at 100 proof. “BiB” is predominantly a bourbon designation, and Privateer is currently the only distillery producing Bottled in Bond rum. In honor of the departed Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we dubbed this release the “Notorious Rum BG” and are donating $10 of each order to her favorite charity, the Malala Fund. While still featuring the magical bourbon sugar influence of “Young Americans”, Notorious Rum BG leans more towards a classic rum drinker’s palate.

#4 : “THE SISTER”
JAWS 2 (Raising Glasses Release 4, Fall 2020)
New Riff Bourbon, 4 yr, 50.6% ABV, Barrel 16-12162
Outturn: 240 Bottles

The pandemic was no match for the Raising Glasses thirst for bourbon! Through the magic of Zoom and Fedex, we conducted a remote barrel pick session with New Riff (again with the assistance of Nick Taylor) and blasted an SUV across the post-apocalyptic quarantined Midwest to retrieve the JAWS 2 barrel. A chance encounter with a New Riff aficionado in the New Riff parking lot took note of the 101.2 proof and the grayish barrel and deemed it one of the New Riff barrels secretly aged in Louisville at the Castle and Key distillery (formerly the historic Old Taylor distillery of Colonel E.H. Taylor fame). While retaining the signature New Riff potency, JAWS 2 is perhaps lighter and more elegant than the brawny JAWS 1.

#5 : FOUND NORTH BATCH 001
16-20 yr 66% Rye | 30% Corn | 4% Malted Barley
57.1% ABV
Outturn: 1,327 Bottles

A true stand out in a world of “Yet Another Rye”, Batch 001 is a audacious blend of 16 yr rye aged in Hungarian oak, 17 yr rye aged in Speyside Scotch casks, and 20 yr corn whisky. Winner of the Double Gold Medal at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Batch 001 reflects the Found North belief that great whisky is an adventurous journey … not a smooth ride!

Learn more here!

#6 : FOUND NORTH BATCH 002
16-20 yr 80% Corn | 19% Rye | 1% Malted Barley
64.9% ABV
Outturn: 1,302 Bottles

Sometimes destiny trashes “the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men” (Robert Burns) … and replaces it with something far greater! Nick and Zach were looking for a second rye to complement Batch 001, but ended up with this decadent “creamsicle” powerhouse. Predominantly composed of double distilled corn whisky, Batch 002 was a huge sleeper hit with our whiskey group and the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, landing a Double Gold Medal along with her Batch 001 sister.
Learn more here!