Peregrine First Flight captured a profile we absolutely love. In succeeding First Flight (FF), we wanted Peregrine 2024 to exist in the same realm while developing its own distinct qualities. FF’s original blend presented an excellent fruit profile, a creamy mid-palate, and a rich spicy finish. However, in hindsight, we relied on the New Wood casks to thicken the mid-palate and soften the spicy black pepper bite on the finish. New Wood is an amazing barrel type. It rounds the profile, softening the edges and melding together the progressions and evolutions of the whisky. But it also occasionally suppresses and dries out some flavors.

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Our goal with Peregrine 2024 was to provide more thickness to the mid-palate and dial back the black pepper on the finish, allowing us to rely less heavily on New Wood. Our ratio of Cognac to New Wood in FF was about 60:40. In the 2024 edition, the ratio of Cognac to New Wood was just about 70:30. By creating an oilier foundation in the initial blend, the resulting whisky is more mouthcoating and has more space for fruit character to ripen. In comparing the two, Peregrine 2024 presents a greater density of orchard fruit on the nose and mid-body and a heavier foundation beneath the New Oak wood caramels, giving the wood sugars greater resonance.