Review #909 - Found North Batch 012

For the first time in more than a year (since Batch 011 in early 2025), Found North has produced one of their core range 'Batch' products: Batch 012. Like most modern Found North releases, this blend of Canada-sourced whiskies focuses on a core component - in this case, a 16 year corn whisky which spent an 11 month finishing period in heavy toast, char #2 new American oak from Independent Stave Company (ISC). These barrels were made with oak staves which were air-seasoned for at least 24 months, and they used 'lower-warehouse conditions' for this component to ensure a measured oak influence.

In all, there are actually 11 components to this blend, ranging from 16 years to 22 years old. The brand says that these 3 form the basis for the blend:

The 16 year (2009 distilled) corn component mentioned above
A ~22 year (2003 distilled) corn whisky in heavy toast, char #1 new American oak from Kelvin Cooperage
A ~21 year (2004 distilled) rye whisky in heavy toast, char #3 new American oak sourced from Chevalier

Roughly half of the components in this blend also spent some time finishing in toasted French oak casks - quite a strong influence on oak in this batch, then. The overall derived mashbill is 86% corn, 13% rye, and 1% malted barley, and we get a fiery cask strength presentation of 64.1% ABV (128.2 proof).

Found North Batch 012

USA/Canada - Blend

Price: USD 150 (2026)

Age Statement: 16 Years

Strength: 64.1% ABV

Cask Makeup: Used American oak, new American oak, and French oak casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added, bottled 2026

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 1 month; bottles at 90%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Waves of caramel, buttercream icing, and strong oak notes: leather, tobacco, loads of toasted oak. It leans sweet and smells quite intense and strong; baking spices of cardamom, nutmeg, brown sugar, and cinnamon come next. Candied walnuts, a bit of a rancio element, maple wood, and a hint of grain are accents, and then we get toasted rye bread and orange peel.

Palate: The mouthfeel is very thick - syrupy, sugary, but also a strong dry oak element. Spicy black pepper, sweet vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, maple syrup on pancakes... so many baking notes. Clove, blanched almond, cream soda, and brown sugar come next; the oak grows more dominant, adding notes of sweet tobacco and leather. We find little rye accents in the background - herbal, a bit of eucalyptus.

Finish: Tons of vanilla and oak, quite a bit of wood spice, as well as rye and smoked paprika. A decent amount of oak tannins, lots of leather and barbecued oak, but there's a soft sweetness from cream soda too. The aftertaste has accents like cinnamon, tobacco, and creamy corn grain; it's a long finish.

Final Note: Like the other Found North whiskies that we've tried, this blend is packed with flavor. The emphasis on the different types of new and toasted oak really shows through in all phases of the tasting experience: tons of baking spices on the nose, lots of leather and tobacco with sweet sugars on the palate, and quite a bit of oak spice in the finish. This is a very good, complex whisky, especially one for those whisky drinkers that enjoy a strong oaky profile.

Found North whiskies certainly aren't cheap, with an average suggested retail price around $150, but we think that these are worth it - the quality is superb, so value is fair.

Our Rating: 8.5 / 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: 6.40

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.