I was able to pick up a bottle of Found North Peregrine 2024 Release this weekend, for $216. It has an age statement of 21 years old, that being the youngest whisky in the blend, which is a year higher than First Flight. It hasn’t been two months since I picked up Hover Hawk, the third release in the High Altitude collection, but the release cycle is starting again. This Peregrine release is blend of 21 and 24 year old rye blended with 23, 24 and 25 year old corn. The 24 year rye was a key component in First Flight. The blend was then finished for five months in newly charred oak and ex-cognac barrels; First Flight’s proportion was 60% cognac 40% new oak, while the 2024 is 70% cognac 30% new wood. This Peregrine has 2% more corn and 2% less rye than First Flight. Also, the 2024 has a lower proof than First Flight at 114.2. The most exciting part for me is that it now appears certain Found North with release new editions of Hell Diver and Hover Hawk.

Despite having slightly younger whisky in the mix (without the 27 year old corn in First Flight), this whisky is darker than First Flight. The color is more copper than amber. On the swirl is a thin film with gravity defying legs, and then big oily droplets form. The nose is very fruit forward, with green apples and citrus fruits dominating, along with a hint of vanilla and oak. On the palate, I get rich baked peaches, red pears, vanilla, freshly baked cinnamon rolls, and a hint of clove. On the finish, the clove comes to the fore with apricots in the background, with a hint of nutmeg. Unlike First Flight, the black pepper on the back end and finish is not there, and that was intentional on the part of the Taylor brothers based on their write up of the whisky.

I have some First Flight left so I did a comparison. First Flight has a lot of the same fruit notes, particularly peaches, but also has a lot of ginger and black pepper notes that the Taylor brothers intentionally chose to leave out. Additionally, despite 2024 being lower in proof, both Peregrine releases are equally flavorful. Overall, I would say that the 2024 release of Peregrine is a nicely fine tuned version of First Flight and one I prefer. I thought about polishing off my bottle of Peregrine First Flight but I am going to keep it around (despite the growing presence of Found North on my living room bar) to do an ultimate match up when the second round of releases of the High Altitude collection are there. Batches 7, 8, and 9 instead will be polished off to make room. As I was putting up the Peregrine bottles back on the bar I poured a little Hover Hawk into my copita, and I am really looking forward to the fine tuned version of that whisky when it comes out. What will they do to improve upon a whisky I described as sublime?

I don’t know, but it will definitely be good.