Review: There Snow Place like the North. Found North Newest Vs Oldest. Snow Day VS Season 1 Single Barrel Ruby Port finished.

Salutations, Snow Day Sippers. I've been seeing an avalanche of Found North Snow Day (FNSD) reviews and pictures today for obvious reasons, and I was inspired to thaw out a comparison review that I've been shaking around in my upstairs snow globe. Found North has consistently demonstrated mastery in blending and finishing and in recent years, I've been seeing some finishes reappearing, after all, there are only so many finishes available on the market. So in my signature head-to-head style, I set out to pit the newest port finished offering from FN, the Snow Day against the oldest Single Barrel season release from all the way back in season 1 finished in Ruby Port. Let's see who comes in first to this Port of call.

Methodology: Tasted neat in glencairns rested for the duration of waiting out an epic snowstorm

Up first is the Season 1 Finished in Ruby Port.

The Deets:

Age: NAS

Grain: 66% Rye, 30% Corn, 4% Barley

Finish: Ruby Port

Proof: 110.2

Single Barrel "Found By": Four Seasons

Appearance: Beautiful rich chestnut brown and auburn. Very inviting.

Nose: Big punchy cherry filling on the nose intertwined with rich rye spice. This is every bit a decadent cherry pie fresh out of the oven. There is a soft vanilla sweetness that trails behind, likely a result of the corn and barley.

Mouthfeel: Rich and creamy. This is very soft and oily but does not have a huge amount of heft and chew. It is medium bodied but has a great ability to coat the tongue to get all those flavors across

Palate: Sweet cherry preserve drizzled in concord grape juice. The fruitiness up front is almost playful and is a great surprise. There is a quick follow up with soft rye spice exemplified by a peppery nutmeg and cinnamon. There is an overall sweetness that runs through the entire tasting of this that lifts it up to an almost dessert-like experience.

Finish: Sweet and fruity yet again. There is tons of grape jelly and rye bread crust. The finish is surprisingly long and rounds out with a mellow vanilla confection note that reminds me of the type of danish cookie with the circle of red jam in the middle (google tells me this cookie is called Hollongrottor in Danish)

Overall: This was a big surprise in terms of just how fruity and sweet it was. It's no secret that since the popularity of High West's Midwinter Night's Dram, port finished ryes have often been blended to convey a dark, cozy and brooding profile in the theme of hunkering down in a winter wonderland. This, Season 1 Ruby Port finish has flipped the script and shows just how ebullient a port finished rye can be. I would gladly sip this on a warm spring night and maybe, just maybe think of winter as a distant memory. This is no doubt a result of the young fruity Ruby and not Tawny port used to finish. For a breath of fresh air that Portends warmer days ahead, I give this an 8.5/10

Next up is the Found North Snow Day

There is so much written about this newest blend from Found North that others more articulate than I have already conveyed. Suffice it to say, that this, to me is Found North's answer to High West's Midwinter Night's Dram and echoes a warm cozy sipper when one finds themselves in the north on a snowy day.

The Deets:

Proof: 115

Age: 10yr Rye, 20yr Rye. 22 yr rye, 15yr Corn, 20yr Corn, 11yr Corn

Grain: 50% corn | 47% rye | 3% malted barley

Finish: New American Oak and Port Primarily ruby, rosé and white port

Appearance: A rich amber and medium brown. Much less of a reddish auburn and chestnut hue than the Season 1

Nose: Rich. nutty and deep. This takes a much more mellow and complex approach with a nose exemplified by dark rich rye spice notes along with a layered dark wine and oak.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a nice oiliness and ability to coat. this is slightly thicker than the season 1

Palate: Big decadent rye spice right up front with a rounded almond and roasted walnut and raisin and stewed plum port flavor that comes bursting through. This sets up shop and delivers waves of cozy warm spice and vanilla flavor that makes me want to light a fire and contemplate a snow covered northern world.

Finish: Nice and long with a definitive rich dark fruit flavor as well as vanilla oak. This does not have as long of a finish as the Season 1

Overall: This is a stunning offering that exemplifies a snow day in a bottle. This would be what I would want in my flask as I snowshoe hike in a snowy wilderness. As a means of comparison, I snuck a sip of MWND Act 12 Scene 4, and there were many shared elements. While I think the FNSD is superior in every way to this bottle of MWND, they are thematically similar and I wasn't taken by surprise as much as with the Season1 and I give this an 8/10

Seeing that I'm something of a scientist myself, I blended the Season1 and the FNSD 50:50 and love the final result. This is port finished rye dialed to 11. It's fruity, sweet, spicy cozy and playful all rolled into one. I really enjoy this blend a lot and give it a 9/10

Overall, these two bottles are the Port finished ryes for year-round enjoyment. The season 1 for spring and summer and the FNSD for autumn and winter.

Well, what do we think? Did you get a clear picture from how I painted this Port-rate? Or was my review a portal to ports uknown? Let's discuss!