Goldfinch First Flight

How we made the whisky

Whenever we make a new whisky for our High Altitude Collection, we focus on matching the initial blend profile to the planned cask regimen. In the case of Goldfinch First Flight, our primary finishing cask was Sauternes.

It is difficult to enhance flavors through further maturation if those flavors are not present in the initial blend. The core blend of Goldfinch provided a textural underpinning and a foundation of fruit notes that transformed with the Sauternes influence, blossoming into a rich creamy mouthfeel with bright citrus and white fruits.

We used five different components in the initial blend:

- 15 year corn in new American oak
- 22 year corn in new American oak
- 20 year corn in used American oak
- 22 year corn in used American oak
- 20 year rye in used American oak

The used American oak casks provided the blend a base level of fruit. The new American oak casks provided balancing wood sugars and tannin. The low rye content kept the baking spices in check, preventing them from suffocating the elegant fruit quality.

Two thirds of the core blend was finished in Sauternes casks. The remainder was evenly split between Cognac casks and air-dried, heavy toast, char level 1, new American oak from Kelvin. The Cognac casks compliment the Sauternes by adding another layer of orchard fruit. The Kelvin barrels also compliment the Sauternes by providing an additional layer of vanilla and caramel to thicken the textural profile of the whisky.

How we blend Goldfinch

As fun as tasting notes can be in describing a new whisky, internally, we don’t find the traditional “nose, palate, finish” approach to be very useful while blending. The whisky drinking experience is more than a collection of notes.

When we sip whisky, it stimulates three different senses. The whisky engages our sense of smell (via retronasal olfaction), tastebuds and presents a textural experience across the palate. These three sensations evolve during each sip. The presentation and progression of the harmonies of flavor and texture across the palate are more important than the individual tasting notes that can be plucked out and identified.

Our lab notes break each test blend into four “quadrants” and the “resolve.” The first quadrant is the initial landing, the very first impression of the whisky. The second and the third quadrants refer to the mid-palate. The fourth quadrant is the finish. The “resolve” is the aftertaste that emerges and lingers after the finish. Breaking the whisky down into quadrants allows us to key in on the transitions and track the whisky with greater precision as it flows from fruity, to spicy, to sweet, etc. and undergoes any concurrent textural shifts.

Lab Notes for Goldfinch

First Quadrant: The landing has a sticky-sweet texture and flavor, with a warm, crackling grip and dense red orchard fruit that sustains into the second quadrant.

‍Second Quadrant: As the texture rounds out, the red fruit shifts into white fruit with subtle undertones of citrus. The richness and intensity of the white fruit compliment the emergence of baking spice and floral notes that sustain into the third quadrant.

‍Third Quadrant: The texture fully brightens into a round, creamy quality. A counterbalancing wood tannin develops alongside the baking spice, especially on the side-palate that pairs with wood aromas and vanillin towards the latter part of the third quadrant and the early part of the fourth quadrant.

‍Fourth Quadrant: The fruit fades while the wood quality presents a pairing of wood phenols and a custard texture. The mild tannin note balances the caramelized sugar quality on the back half of the finish.

‍Resolve: After the finish, red fruit returns with a cinnamon echo.

‍Overall Impression: Goldfinch starts out much darker and richer than expected given the primary finishing cask, but the middle two quadrants show a burst of white fruit and creamy vanillin before it reverts back into a heavier, richer conclusion.

Why we made Goldfinch

When we create a new edition to the High Altitude Collection, we want the bird to be a reflection of the whisky and the whisky to be a reflection of the bird. Sauternes is often referred to as "Golden Wine" for its rich, honeyed flavor and golden color. “Goldfinch” was a natural fit.

Moreover, the American Goldfinch is well-known for its spring and autumn colors. Its plumage undergoes multiple vibrant transitions over the course of the year, a lovely metaphor for the changing array of fruit flavors in its namesake whisky.

Lastly, the goldfinch is an ambitious, brazen, migratory bird that transverses North America every year in small flocks. Our team of bird lovers has a particular affinity for these diminutive explorers.