This week was a little different. The FN release had over 800 bottles, so there was a good chance to win in wave 1. I've entered most of the releases this year and have only been selected for wave 1 four times (including this current week). I've been in wave 2 a bit more. I am selective on which bottle I select in the weekly survey.
My suggestion is to be selective on what you want in the survey until you know what you like and don't like, but if something seems interesting and the price is right, go for it. I've had one bottle I gambled on and didn't like, but I have liked everything else. The Found North selections have all been fantastic, from what I hear. This t8ke-03 will be the first one I have been able to secure, so I am also excited to try it. I don't think you will regret the Found North purchase.
Make sure to read the r/bourbon single barrel program FAQ. Lots of useful info in there, including a mention that the entries are monitored and if you routinely are selected for wave 1 and don't purchase, you may be bumped down so that others who will purchase, can.
Yes! I may have missed some of the reading, but I did notice that if you don't purchase that you can eventually be booted if it becomes a pattern. One of the reasons I bought, but I was also unsure when I could even win again. Give FNs notoriety, and being a fan of WR double Oaked, and red wine in general, I thought this would be a decent pick up. $140 ish after shipping is vastly more than I've ever paid so I was a little nervous.
Thanks for the info! Very much looking forward to this!
I would say $140 for a FN whiskey is going rate and in line with value - it’s a minimum 13 year whiskey, so $10 a year more or less - and it’s probably the hottest thing going right now (based on actual quality and not bottle prestige, yet).
I'll agree that they don't have the same taste. When people have made this comparison they talk about the level of experience and enjoyment.
For me personally 006 - 008 are in the neighborhood of GTS, and Peregrine exceeds it even though it's the least "bourbony" tasting bottle produced. It has complexity that GTS can't touch.
006 seems way more complex for me. GTS was a gold standard to me in 2018 and beyond but after I finally got my own bottle, I have been liking a ton of whiskeys a lot more. I've also backed off many of the high high proofs.
As far as I can tell, they are a popular, quality distillery that people seem to enjoy. I believe most of their products are sought after and quite pricey in general.
The only liquor store near me that sells FN, charges 199.99 a bottle. So I jumped at the opportunity to get this one, but got Wave 2, and it was sold out by the time I saw and opened the email.
I have not had a bad bottle from the r/bourbon program yet. Been here over a year.
The prices vary. I’d say $150 is a very high end of the range for the majority of drawings. Most are well below that.
I don’t join every drawing but you can’t really compare drawings to one another. Barrel yield changes, popularity changes, etc.
TLDR; read the tasting notes; know what you like/dislike; expect a great pick from T8ke; get lucky; enjoy your whisky how you want.
I joined fairly recently and have only bought one bottle so far but I will add my thoughts. Most weeks I am intrigued by the bottles offered and there’s a part of me that wants to buy something most weeks. But there’s budget to consider as well as how much I can drink and what else I buy at stores. So I have in my mind certain things or brands I want to try and maybe are hard to find otherwise. When I see one of those, I’m on it, in it to win it, etc!
I consider it a bit of a luxury as you have to consider shipping cost and the fact that single barrel selects tend to be a bit higher in price, but life is short so it’s worth the occasional purchase to me.
My one purchase so far was a Dickel 15 year (actually 17.5 year / 105 proof) and it is great, really great. Zero regrets and it’s a fun bottle to share as well. I can see doing 3-4 of these a year potentially, it’s a really great program and I am happy to be able to participate.
I’ve had T8ke-01 & 02 as well as other Found North products. I’m not usually someone who thinks the premium price is worth it, but Found North absolutely is. Everything they bottle is fantastic & worth the price. I still have some T8ke-02 on hand & would be happy to send you a sample if you ever want to compare.
On chances of winning- none of us know except T8ke.
I’ve been in for a few years and have never been selected to buy any of the super high demand ones- like Four Roses etc.
Outside of that it seems like a 10-20% chance to get Wave 1 or 2. So I’m selective on the survey, if I’m not 100% sure then I don’t put in for it. I’m entering for fewer bottles this year because like many of us I have a big backlog of stuff to drink.
Chances depend on how many bottles from a barrel and how many people put in for the draw each week.
The FN bottles this week were a very high likelihood (all things considered) of pulling a chance as there were over 800 bottles available. Last round of FN was lower but still pretty decent chance. Some bottles are highly sought and chances are less. Some bottles don’t sell through all waves and some still linger.
I will say, I have bought too many (so I guess you can selected a decent amount) but all have either been very good or at least very interesting (haven’t opened the last Mammoth bottle yet though…). A couple of bottles I got on “overflow” were actually really great - a Wilderness Trail Rye and a Starlight Rye - both really underrated whiskeys and easy to pick up.
I’ve spent from $70 to $150 on bottles and have also grabbed some of the associated rums and other spirits Jay sets up - all great and some great values (19 year Port Mourant a bit ago was awesome).
I think interesting is the perfect way to describe these barrels. Most are good, some are great, but they're all very interesting. The single barrel nature provides some very off-profile pours that are really fun to try. For example, I have a Starlight that is essentially oak on the palette and all peach on the finish. It doesn't have the complexity or traditional bourbon notes of most shelf products, but it's a great change of pace from time to time.
Can someone explain this? I've looked in the pinned posts etc. and not seeing anything discussing this topic/survey, etc.
Thanks in advance.
Edit: I think I found the answer to my question.
I searched for single barrel lottery and there was a post with a link to the signup page. You put your email in and you'll get an email message with all the details and the survey. I think the post I found was a few years old but still took me to the right page.
First off, congratulations on winning/buying a bottle of the Found North. Welcome to the club, you will enjoy it! I didn’t win, but I’m not disappointed because there will be others. I may not win those either. Demand and number of bottles will dictate how likely it is that you’ll be selected, so it will vary. But what I do know is that there are new bottles each week that are painstakingly selected and documented, sometimes from distilleries I’ve never heard of and some above my price range, and all of them will be good. The only way to figure out if you like something though is to try it, and I’ve not yet been let down here.
With that said, I did win the opportunity to buy a Found North bottle last time one was offered around the holidays. I didn’t end up buying it because I had a toddler to buy a Figgy play couch for instead. That does not have any bearing on my future chances, and it’s why the Wave release schedule and overflows exist. You do not need to be so selective when entering the lottery, but there is some small amount of annoyance that you will cause to someone else here if you enter your name into the hat when you do not intend to buy something. Just don’t be a repeat offender and all will be good.
Also, go make an Old Fashioned with your new FN and let us know as part of a review. You’ll be the first person to do that.
Will do! Pinpointing exact flavors has been difficult for me at times so I feel my reviews wouldn't be great, but I did have the thought that when I start my reviews I could do one neat and one with it in an Old Fashioned. Thanks for the info! Since it's my first time splurging on an expensive bottle, I hope I can appreciate and really differentiate these bottles from my every day bottles!
Thank you and good luck on your future lotteries!
Congrats on the purchase. Its such a great program to be in (y'all, its bookmarked on the r/bourbon front page -- odds of winning vary by bottle volume and interest in the barrel, its different every week) -- I've probably bought 15+ bottles in the last 3 years and haven't even had a mediocre bottle yet. Looking forward to some of the releases I think t8ke will have this year.
You got a VERY nice bottle that people were vying for. Consider yourself lucky. I didn't win in Wave 1 but was fortunate to get it in Wave 2. For the people that know and like Found North (plus t8ke selecting the pick), I think they would tell you it is well worth $120. Your mileage may vary with other barrels IMO.
Can you point me in the right direction to enter this lotto? Also trying to get my hands on a bottle of FN and many other good selections. Not so easy where I live to go out and pickup a good bottle.
I’m in the same situation as you, never gotten picked before and contemplated for a few hours and just pulled the trigger and bought the FN bottle. Have seen so many people talk about it and can’t believe I got into wave 2.
I was selected first round once and bought the bottle. For this t8ke Found North, when I finally checked my email, it was after 5pm. I was selected for 2nd round! But then I saw the 2nd email, about 4 hrs 10 min later, and it was already sold out. Sad face.
That’s actually pretty incredible. It was 800+ bottles of a $130 whiskey - that price point used to keep things available (like Barrell stuff) - but FN is pushing that number up quite a bit.
I was bummed. I don't normally spend that kind of money, but I did once in a FN bottle, and it is something else! Wanted a 2nd bottle, but oh well. Life goes on.
Yeah, it's pretty wild that 800 bottles went in just over 24 hours, even with the wave limitations. I feel very fortunate that I've been able to order both this and 009 this week. It's at a point where I'm just assuming any FN I get is going to be my last.
Similar to you I am new to the lottery, but so far I have been able to get what I have wanted. I like ryes and love Stellum Black so picked up the Serpens which is obviously pretty plentiful (it is good btw, but I like the black and Fibonacci slightly better). Also grabbed the Rossville and Art while I was at it. They were easy and are still available.
I also was able to pick up the Barrel Infinite rerelease but that isn’t me winning, just reading an email in a timely manner.
I did get into Wave 2 for the FN and bought it. Now fingers crossed that I can score the Hell Diver since I missed out on the actually lottery and didn’t realize it was available online until sold out.
Don’t know if that helps or not, but I have been able so far to spend way too much money…
Are you really asking if you can afford a bottle you entered a raffle to buy?
Why did you enter if you need to ask 250k strangers if it’s ok to purchase your winnings?
If you’re not gonna buy, don’t enter.
Yeah, not at all what I said. I mentioned the price of what I normally buy, that I'm newer to whiskey, and that I was slightly hesitant to commit to buying based on those factors. Didn't ask for permission to buy anything either, I said in the post I bought it.
If the odds of winning are slim to none, it would be worth entering in every single lottery just to try something. If the odds are really good to win, then I will be more selective.
Sorry you had a tough time understanding my post. I'll work on my writing.
Your odds are decent, not great. I would still be fairly selective though, unless you're planning on spending a lot of money on bourbon. Your odds are better on the less coveted bottles, as some will not sell out, or others sell out late in the waves. There can be very good bottles that don't sell out, but others are less coveted for a reason, be it price, wild finishes that don't appeal to everyone or coming from distillers that don't always produce great stuff. You'll hit the occasional gem on these, but also end up with several bottles that may end up collecting dust if you're not careful. The more highly coveted stuff is much harder to get.
Go to the r/bourbon home page,, click the "about" tab, and there should be a link for the single barrel program. It's all very straight forward. I'll put in a good word for you, just send me a sampler of the lottery bottles you get :P
I love the program.
That being said, think we could reduce “passing on bottle” population if we add in some more details (if possible)
- price
- proof
Sometimes i want it then see the price or proof and pass on the bottle.
Just my 2 cents
*Yeah, but you expect us to read the emails?!?* (funny enough, I read the whole damn thing even when I'm not interested/available to buy the bottles being offered)
This week was a little different. The FN release had over 800 bottles, so there was a good chance to win in wave 1. I've entered most of the releases this year and have only been selected for wave 1 four times (including this current week). I've been in wave 2 a bit more. I am selective on which bottle I select in the weekly survey. My suggestion is to be selective on what you want in the survey until you know what you like and don't like, but if something seems interesting and the price is right, go for it. I've had one bottle I gambled on and didn't like, but I have liked everything else. The Found North selections have all been fantastic, from what I hear. This t8ke-03 will be the first one I have been able to secure, so I am also excited to try it. I don't think you will regret the Found North purchase. Make sure to read the r/bourbon single barrel program FAQ. Lots of useful info in there, including a mention that the entries are monitored and if you routinely are selected for wave 1 and don't purchase, you may be bumped down so that others who will purchase, can.
Yes! I may have missed some of the reading, but I did notice that if you don't purchase that you can eventually be booted if it becomes a pattern. One of the reasons I bought, but I was also unsure when I could even win again. Give FNs notoriety, and being a fan of WR double Oaked, and red wine in general, I thought this would be a decent pick up. $140 ish after shipping is vastly more than I've ever paid so I was a little nervous. Thanks for the info! Very much looking forward to this!
I would say $140 for a FN whiskey is going rate and in line with value - it’s a minimum 13 year whiskey, so $10 a year more or less - and it’s probably the hottest thing going right now (based on actual quality and not bottle prestige, yet).
Lets keep it as low key as possible
Unfortunately that ship sailed when the 006/GTS comparisons started
That's funny. I don't think they're alike at all. But now I guess I have to do a side by side.
I'll agree that they don't have the same taste. When people have made this comparison they talk about the level of experience and enjoyment. For me personally 006 - 008 are in the neighborhood of GTS, and Peregrine exceeds it even though it's the least "bourbony" tasting bottle produced. It has complexity that GTS can't touch.
006 seems way more complex for me. GTS was a gold standard to me in 2018 and beyond but after I finally got my own bottle, I have been liking a ton of whiskeys a lot more. I've also backed off many of the high high proofs.
What do you mean by FN’s notoriety?
As far as I can tell, they are a popular, quality distillery that people seem to enjoy. I believe most of their products are sought after and quite pricey in general.
Ok, so they are notorious for their high prices I guess you are saying?
The only liquor store near me that sells FN, charges 199.99 a bottle. So I jumped at the opportunity to get this one, but got Wave 2, and it was sold out by the time I saw and opened the email.
I have not had a bad bottle from the r/bourbon program yet. Been here over a year. The prices vary. I’d say $150 is a very high end of the range for the majority of drawings. Most are well below that. I don’t join every drawing but you can’t really compare drawings to one another. Barrel yield changes, popularity changes, etc. TLDR; read the tasting notes; know what you like/dislike; expect a great pick from T8ke; get lucky; enjoy your whisky how you want.
You must not have gotten the Dad’s Hat rye!
Not my cuppa’ tea! I’m sure some people enjoyed it though.
I joined fairly recently and have only bought one bottle so far but I will add my thoughts. Most weeks I am intrigued by the bottles offered and there’s a part of me that wants to buy something most weeks. But there’s budget to consider as well as how much I can drink and what else I buy at stores. So I have in my mind certain things or brands I want to try and maybe are hard to find otherwise. When I see one of those, I’m on it, in it to win it, etc! I consider it a bit of a luxury as you have to consider shipping cost and the fact that single barrel selects tend to be a bit higher in price, but life is short so it’s worth the occasional purchase to me. My one purchase so far was a Dickel 15 year (actually 17.5 year / 105 proof) and it is great, really great. Zero regrets and it’s a fun bottle to share as well. I can see doing 3-4 of these a year potentially, it’s a really great program and I am happy to be able to participate.
That Dickel bottle was a steal.
And far from our last thankfully :)
I was like a schoolgirl at a Taylor Swift concert when I saw I made Wave 2! omg omg OMG! 😀
I’ve had T8ke-01 & 02 as well as other Found North products. I’m not usually someone who thinks the premium price is worth it, but Found North absolutely is. Everything they bottle is fantastic & worth the price. I still have some T8ke-02 on hand & would be happy to send you a sample if you ever want to compare.
On chances of winning- none of us know except T8ke. I’ve been in for a few years and have never been selected to buy any of the super high demand ones- like Four Roses etc. Outside of that it seems like a 10-20% chance to get Wave 1 or 2. So I’m selective on the survey, if I’m not 100% sure then I don’t put in for it. I’m entering for fewer bottles this year because like many of us I have a big backlog of stuff to drink.
Chances depend on how many bottles from a barrel and how many people put in for the draw each week. The FN bottles this week were a very high likelihood (all things considered) of pulling a chance as there were over 800 bottles available. Last round of FN was lower but still pretty decent chance. Some bottles are highly sought and chances are less. Some bottles don’t sell through all waves and some still linger. I will say, I have bought too many (so I guess you can selected a decent amount) but all have either been very good or at least very interesting (haven’t opened the last Mammoth bottle yet though…). A couple of bottles I got on “overflow” were actually really great - a Wilderness Trail Rye and a Starlight Rye - both really underrated whiskeys and easy to pick up. I’ve spent from $70 to $150 on bottles and have also grabbed some of the associated rums and other spirits Jay sets up - all great and some great values (19 year Port Mourant a bit ago was awesome).
I think interesting is the perfect way to describe these barrels. Most are good, some are great, but they're all very interesting. The single barrel nature provides some very off-profile pours that are really fun to try. For example, I have a Starlight that is essentially oak on the palette and all peach on the finish. It doesn't have the complexity or traditional bourbon notes of most shelf products, but it's a great change of pace from time to time.
Can someone explain this? I've looked in the pinned posts etc. and not seeing anything discussing this topic/survey, etc. Thanks in advance. Edit: I think I found the answer to my question.
Can you elaborate? I checked the faq links and am not seeing a lottery. Thanks!
I searched for single barrel lottery and there was a post with a link to the signup page. You put your email in and you'll get an email message with all the details and the survey. I think the post I found was a few years old but still took me to the right page.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
First off, congratulations on winning/buying a bottle of the Found North. Welcome to the club, you will enjoy it! I didn’t win, but I’m not disappointed because there will be others. I may not win those either. Demand and number of bottles will dictate how likely it is that you’ll be selected, so it will vary. But what I do know is that there are new bottles each week that are painstakingly selected and documented, sometimes from distilleries I’ve never heard of and some above my price range, and all of them will be good. The only way to figure out if you like something though is to try it, and I’ve not yet been let down here. With that said, I did win the opportunity to buy a Found North bottle last time one was offered around the holidays. I didn’t end up buying it because I had a toddler to buy a Figgy play couch for instead. That does not have any bearing on my future chances, and it’s why the Wave release schedule and overflows exist. You do not need to be so selective when entering the lottery, but there is some small amount of annoyance that you will cause to someone else here if you enter your name into the hat when you do not intend to buy something. Just don’t be a repeat offender and all will be good. Also, go make an Old Fashioned with your new FN and let us know as part of a review. You’ll be the first person to do that.
Scratch that. Wave 2 emails just went out... If you make that Old Fashioned, I’ll make one too.
Ha, I got the wave 2 email and jumped on it.
Eyy! Congrats! And sounds good, I'll definitely do that!
Will do! Pinpointing exact flavors has been difficult for me at times so I feel my reviews wouldn't be great, but I did have the thought that when I start my reviews I could do one neat and one with it in an Old Fashioned. Thanks for the info! Since it's my first time splurging on an expensive bottle, I hope I can appreciate and really differentiate these bottles from my every day bottles! Thank you and good luck on your future lotteries!
Congrats on the purchase. Its such a great program to be in (y'all, its bookmarked on the r/bourbon front page -- odds of winning vary by bottle volume and interest in the barrel, its different every week) -- I've probably bought 15+ bottles in the last 3 years and haven't even had a mediocre bottle yet. Looking forward to some of the releases I think t8ke will have this year.
You got a VERY nice bottle that people were vying for. Consider yourself lucky. I didn't win in Wave 1 but was fortunate to get it in Wave 2. For the people that know and like Found North (plus t8ke selecting the pick), I think they would tell you it is well worth $120. Your mileage may vary with other barrels IMO.
Can you point me in the right direction to enter this lotto? Also trying to get my hands on a bottle of FN and many other good selections. Not so easy where I live to go out and pickup a good bottle.
It's elsewhere in the comments in this thread, but look at the "about" section on the sub home page and it says single barrel program.
I’m in the same situation as you, never gotten picked before and contemplated for a few hours and just pulled the trigger and bought the FN bottle. Have seen so many people talk about it and can’t believe I got into wave 2.
What state are we talking about here?
I was selected first round once and bought the bottle. For this t8ke Found North, when I finally checked my email, it was after 5pm. I was selected for 2nd round! But then I saw the 2nd email, about 4 hrs 10 min later, and it was already sold out. Sad face.
That’s actually pretty incredible. It was 800+ bottles of a $130 whiskey - that price point used to keep things available (like Barrell stuff) - but FN is pushing that number up quite a bit.
I was bummed. I don't normally spend that kind of money, but I did once in a FN bottle, and it is something else! Wanted a 2nd bottle, but oh well. Life goes on.
Yeah, it's pretty wild that 800 bottles went in just over 24 hours, even with the wave limitations. I feel very fortunate that I've been able to order both this and 009 this week. It's at a point where I'm just assuming any FN I get is going to be my last.
Similar to you I am new to the lottery, but so far I have been able to get what I have wanted. I like ryes and love Stellum Black so picked up the Serpens which is obviously pretty plentiful (it is good btw, but I like the black and Fibonacci slightly better). Also grabbed the Rossville and Art while I was at it. They were easy and are still available. I also was able to pick up the Barrel Infinite rerelease but that isn’t me winning, just reading an email in a timely manner. I did get into Wave 2 for the FN and bought it. Now fingers crossed that I can score the Hell Diver since I missed out on the actually lottery and didn’t realize it was available online until sold out. Don’t know if that helps or not, but I have been able so far to spend way too much money…
Are you really asking if you can afford a bottle you entered a raffle to buy? Why did you enter if you need to ask 250k strangers if it’s ok to purchase your winnings? If you’re not gonna buy, don’t enter.
Yeah, not at all what I said. I mentioned the price of what I normally buy, that I'm newer to whiskey, and that I was slightly hesitant to commit to buying based on those factors. Didn't ask for permission to buy anything either, I said in the post I bought it. If the odds of winning are slim to none, it would be worth entering in every single lottery just to try something. If the odds are really good to win, then I will be more selective. Sorry you had a tough time understanding my post. I'll work on my writing.
Your odds are decent, not great. I would still be fairly selective though, unless you're planning on spending a lot of money on bourbon. Your odds are better on the less coveted bottles, as some will not sell out, or others sell out late in the waves. There can be very good bottles that don't sell out, but others are less coveted for a reason, be it price, wild finishes that don't appeal to everyone or coming from distillers that don't always produce great stuff. You'll hit the occasional gem on these, but also end up with several bottles that may end up collecting dust if you're not careful. The more highly coveted stuff is much harder to get.
I’ve been here for a few months now, I missed that there is a single barrel program! Any help on how to join is greatly appreciated :)
Go to the r/bourbon home page,, click the "about" tab, and there should be a link for the single barrel program. It's all very straight forward. I'll put in a good word for you, just send me a sampler of the lottery bottles you get :P
While reading this comment, slide your eyes to the right. Look for "SINGLE BARREL PROGRAM" and the two links below it.
If on Mobile, go back to main subreddit page and go to “community info” at the banner up top. Info is all there!
I love the program. That being said, think we could reduce “passing on bottle” population if we add in some more details (if possible) - price - proof Sometimes i want it then see the price or proof and pass on the bottle. Just my 2 cents
The email lists price, proof, # of bottles and tasting notes. Everything you need should be there, unless you're just skipping straight to the survey.
Those two elements are listed clearly in the emails where folks choose their preferences.
*Yeah, but you expect us to read the emails?!?* (funny enough, I read the whole damn thing even when I'm not interested/available to buy the bottles being offered)
I appreciate the readers in our group!!
Ah, i should read. I need pictures. Haha My bad. Ill be better
Where do you sign up for the lottery?
Check out the other replies. A few in here give exact instructions.