Hover Hawk First Flight Cask Strength Whisky 123.2 proof – Selected by Seelbach’s

Age: 15-27 Year Old Whiskies

Finish: Moscatel and New American Oak casks

Proof: 123.2 Proof

Mash Bill: 90% Corn | 9% Rye | 1% Malted

About: The blend, finish, reblend process that has defined the High Altitude Collection since the 2023 release of Peregrine has allowed us to make some of our most compelling whiskies. This whisky-making practice is quite different from our Batches, which demand meticulous precision. Blending our Batch releases is like sculpting a whisky, it requires persistence and time. We chisel. We sand. We polish. With enough time, we can shape the whisky into exactly the form we want. It is direct and intentional.

In contrast, our High Altitude process of blending, further maturing and then reblending is akin to tending a garden. We nurture and coax the best flavors out of the whisky. There is a level of unpredictability inherent in further maturation. You need timing, finesse and a bit of luck. The initial blend plants the seeds of flavor and then we yield to the whims of the barrels. We wait for the whisky to fully blossom, plucking them from the vine once they have peaked, before finally reknitting the best casks into an intricate tapestry.

Hover Hawk began as a blend of 22, 23, 24 and 27 year old corn and 15 and 18 year old rye components, forming a foundation of fruit notes well-suited to the sweet and citric qualities of our planned finishing casks – Moscatel and New American Oak. Following four additional months of maturation, Hover Hawk captures the bright, lively white fruit of the Moscatel and the soft tannins and vanillins of the New American Oak, setting a new stylistic pillar in our High Altitude Collection. We chose the North American Kestrel to represent this whisky.

Nicknamed “Hover Hawk,” the kestrel is the smallest American Falcon and yet it flourishes in the North American tundra, thriving in fields and prairies across the continent. It is not particularly fast or powerful. Its success relies on its patience and uncanny ability to ride the wind, dancing on the unseen currents. The kestrel embodies the High Altitude process and exemplifies the acuity required to work with these particular casks.

Tasting Notes: The nose is like fresh dew catching the morning sun after a midnight shower, each drop a prism refracting flavor across an open field of fragrant fruit notes, flashing a full spectrum of green apple, golden raisins, peach jam and sweet lemon pie. Secondary notes of toasted caramel dance on the wind, wafting whiffs of burnt brown sugar and maple candy. Hover Hawk spins out a cascade of fruit notes, stringing together vanilla wafer, blackberry currant and cinnamon pound cake. The nose begs you to drink the whisky.
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Like the crack of canvas as a sail catches a westerlies wind, the palate corrals the unbridled flavors, setting a course. The flush of white fruit, citrus and blackberry on the nose land thick and viscous, presenting the melting fruity texture of a perfectly ripe golden kiwi and the mouth-watering residual sweetness of cantaloupe. This combination of viscosity and sweetness coats the palate, creating an underlying foundation starting in the mid-palate and lingering throughout the finish. The bloom of honey and vanilla manifests in harmony with a crackling coriander, crescendoing into a full-bodied spice cake covered in brown butter cream. The bedrock of sweetness sustains itself, while the spice ebbs, replaced by a dense chocolate and tannin that twist around the endless jammy finish, a lingering decadence.