As we were putting together a blend of Castle & Key Bourbon barrels last week, I asked Pinhook co-founder and blender Sean Josephs about the newest release of the Vertical Series: the 5 year old “Tiz Rye Time” rye whiskey—number two in the nine part series that seeks to track a whiskey’s evolution over time.
“It’s not only my favorite Pinhook release we’ve done thus far, I think it’s the best whiskey we’ve yet released,” he said to me.
Having sipped on my bottle over the last few hours, letting the whiskey and my taste buds get to know each other, I can safely say the same thing. It’s not just the best Pinhook rye whiskey I’ve ever tasted, it’s one of the best MGP-produced rye whiskies I’ve had, pound for pound.
Why exactly?
With its 95% rye/5% barley mash bill, the MGP rye whiskies usually fall into one of two camps:
Super herbaceous, dill scented, spicy, peppery, and powerful
Super soft, slightly herbaceous, baking spice-laden, and easy drinking
For an example of the former, look at some of the old Willett rye bottlings (before they started releasing their own distillate), or some of the cask strength Smooth Ambler single barrels from the past. They were big and punchy, sometimes brimming with dill, and like a firecracker on the palate.
For an example of the latter, take something like Bulleit rye whiskey: bottled at 90 proof, creamy on the palate with some gentle herbaceous notes up front, and some clove and cinnamon notes on the finish.
The new Pinhook “Tiz Rye Time” 5 year old whiskey falls into the first of the two groups, but combines it with a third profile that I’m not used to experiencing with my MGP rye whiskey:
Rich vanilla, big sweet oak, and a full-bodied finish
It’s so delicious, I’ve not just gone back for seconds and thirds; I’ve gone back for tenths and elevenths.
If you’re unfamiliar with Pinhook as a label, the brand is applying the horse term “pinhooking”—referring to identifying and evaluating which horses could mature into racing champions—to the identification and evaluation of which whiskey casks could mature into honey barrels. While future releases of the standard Pinhook expressions will soon transfer over to Castle & Key-distilled stocks, the Pinhook Vertical Series follows the evolution of one lot of whiskey barrels, purchased from a single run at MGP a number of years back.
Each year, Sean blends fifty rye whiskey barrels into a limited edition small batch release, with plans to continue the process until the barrels hit nine years of age. To be clear, the Vertical Series isn’t a solera, nor is it a blend that has been re-racked to continue maturation. It’s a new small batch every year, crafted from different barrels, but married from the same single lot of distillate. Let me say once again, the new 2021 batch of the Vertical Series rye whiskey is utterly divine.
I’m a firm believer that the best small batch blends or marriages will always outshine the best single barrels. Having tasted thousands of single barrels in my career, I will choose the blended option over the single cask option 100% of the time if I’m in control of the vetting process, or someone I trust is doing the blending. Why settle for what a single cask has to offer unless that’s the only possible option? If you can add more whiskey from another barrel that can balance, enhance, or even improve the flavors of the whiskey, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it??!!!!!!
I get that there are guys out there who like the purity of a single cask, and who think finding a perfect barrel is like discovering a diamond in the rough. To those guys, I would say: diamonds aren’t perfect when they’re discovered in the rough. They’re cut to perfection later on by trained jewelers, just like whiskies can be blended to perfection by trained blenders. With that idea in mind, it’s clear from the first sip that Pinhook’s Sean Josephs found the sweet spot with this new 5 year old marriage of rye whiskey.
Right off the bat you get a big mouthful of graham cracker, sweet oak, and a richness of weight that is felt on the palate more than tasted. The dill comes in soon after, but unlike some of the other young, high proof MGP rye whiskies on the market, it doesn’t thin out into a hot, herbaceous finish. Instead, the richness continues forward and the peppery character of the rye is bolstered by vanilla from the oak all the way to the end.
At 51.5% ABV, the whiskey is bold enough for those who like it bold, but the choice of proof is anchored by the character of the whiskey; nothing about it tastes hot or out of balance. Everything pops in the right places. At $49.99 retail, and with a beautiful horse-inspired label, this bottle will find a nurturing home in my dining room bar; reserved for only the most drinkable bottles in my personal collection as it provides the easiest access.
I went deep on inventory as I believe in putting your money where your mouth is. If you really like something, take a stance on it and make it accessible to your customers at a great price. I think you’ll all be going back for tenths and elevenths just like I did.
-David Driscoll