Buttercream frosting | Creamed corn | Molasses | Rye spice | Hint of citrus

Brown sugar | Maple syrup | Cinnamon

Rye spice | White pepper | Seared orange peel | Sugarcane | Light molasses & maple syrup

Michael Antonio Martinez founded Fincasa and “is built on a passion for learning and hearing stories about different cultures, especially from [his family’s] heritage and family in Puerto Rico,” by his own account. The company sources whiskey and finishes it in rum barrels. Batch 4 was finished for 8 months, compared to Batch 3’s 13 months, Batch 2’s 9 months, and Batch 1’s 7 months.  

Fincasa is building their entire brand on rum barrel finishing. The majority of rum finished whiskeys in the U.S. are bourbon and many producers feel the flavors are complementary. Fincasa De La Tierra is taking the road less traveled by using rye as their base whiskey resulting in high contrast and adjusting finishing barrel origins and finishing times between batches. As we have seen from batch to batch, those changes can have dramatically different results.

The whiskey’s aroma features a wide range of scents, everything from buttercream frosting, molasses, and rye spice, to citrus and even creamed corn. The palate is expectedly sweet, with brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. The finish starts with heavy rye spice and white pepper, with a mix of seared orange peel, sugarcane, and lingering light molasses and maple syrup.

I appreciate that Fincasa De La Tierra isn’t going full-on sweet like Angel’s Envy Finished Rye, and is attempting to add subtlety and depth to their sip. Given the high contrast between rye and rum, the two spirits aren’t always the best playmates. Sometimes they don’t want to mingle well - at least in Batch 4 - with one moment you’re tasting rum-like flavors and the next big rye spice. It is a challenging yet playful pour that doesn’t come easy, but is never boring either.