Review #680 - Found North Goldfinch First Flight

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Image credit: Found North Whisky

There's a new member of the High Altitude series from Found North: Goldfinch. This is the First Flight edition, or the first release of this specific blend; it carries a 15 year age statement, though the brand tells us that this blend is made up of the following specific components:

  • 15 year old corn whisky aged in new oak

  • 20 year old corn whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks

  • 22 year old corn whisky aged in new oak

  • 22 year old corn whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks

  • 20 year old rye whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks

The batch consists of 36 barrels in total. After that initial maturation in ex-bourbon barrels and new oak, the finishing process start: the barrels were blended, then moved into a combination of Sauternes wine casks, Cognac casks, and new American oak casks which specifically employed air-dried (as opposed to kiln-dried) staves. Sauternes has the largest influence - two thirds of the blend was finished in it, while roughly one sixth went into the Cognac casks, and one sixth went into the air-dried new oak.

After the final re-blending process, we get a derived mashbill of 91% corn, 8% rye, and 1% malted barley. This is a bit of a departure from the finishing casks that Found North often uses, which add lots of red fruit notes; instead, the Sauternes focus could add more light fruit and baking notes, so we'll be on the lookout for those flavors.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Found North for review at no cost. All opinions expressed in this review are our own.

Found North Goldfinch First Flight

USA/Canada - Blend

Price: USD 160 (2025)

Age Statement: 15 Years

Strength: 58.1% ABV

Cask Makeup: New oak and ex-bourbon casks, finished in Sauternes, Cognac, and new American Oak casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added, bottled 2025; 8,546 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Leather and butterscotch, both sweet and dry; we get light tinned fruits like pear, as well as plenty of golden raisin. Caramel, corn spirit, and vanilla add to the sweet notes; there's a soft peppery rye kick in the background. Cinnamon and stewed apples, guava, a bit of tart peach... lots of layers to unpack. Time brings bruleed sugar and hints of cream.

Palate: Quite spicy on arrival - strong oak notes, both leathery and a bit tannic. Strong caramel notes bring back sweetness, along with banana cream, pineapple, and candied apples. Hints of honey and Mandarin orange build, but oak grows even stronger, adding soft tobacco flavors in the late palate. The mouthfeel is medium-thick.

Finish: Both sweet and sharp - golden apple, soft starchy grape skins, and tangy oranges combine with wood tannins, some spirity heat, and a barbecued oak component. Lighter notes like powdered sugar and wildflower honey are balanced by lots of leather and a sour fruit note; the aftertaste has soft butterscotch. It's a long finish.

Final Note: One of the things we love most about Found North is the layers that their whiskies have. There's so much complexity when you give the spirit time to breathe; those long years spent in refill oak give plenty of time for oxidation and flavor development. This Sauternes-heavy release still carries the core flavor profile that we generally find on Found North whiskies: sweet, butterscotch-forward corn spirit and strong, leathery oak. Past that, this delivers plenty of lighter fruits and sweet baking notes, especially apples and tinned fruit.

The spicy element at the front of the palate was stronger than expected at first, as the leathery notes and tannins showed through strongly. That may be due to the use of European oak in the Sauternes wine casks, which could contribute more tannins, as well as those Cognac casks; past that oaky kick, however, more layers of sweet fruit open up. This is a whisky that you can easily spend an hour with, as it evolves in the glass as the more volatile compounds evaporate away, and the flavors change.

Onto value, then - this is an expensive, as most batched Found North releases are these days. Despite the MSRP of $160, this gets an okay value score, as the level of flavor in the bottle is excellent. If you like Sauternes-influenced whiskies, we highly recommend seeking one of these bottles out as they hit retail outlets.

Our Average Rating: 8.7 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.26

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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