Pinhook’s Vertical Series is an exemplary approach to sourcing and bottling whiskey in a novel, exciting and transparent way - the kind of dream project every nerdy whiskey fan hopes for. Now in its third year, this master class in whiskey maturation follows a set of 1,350 MGP barrels as they age from 4 to 12 years old, with a selection of barrels that best represents that age being blended into a small batch and released each round. The Bourbon War bottling has been excellent each year, so when we got the chance to get a bit horizontal with this vertical by selecting a single barrel, how could we say no?!
Our single barrel has been bottled at 6 years, and it’s definitely not shy about it’s breeding. Distilled from a 75% corn/20.5% rye/4.5% malted barley mash bill, and aged at the Castle & Key rick houses in Frankfort, KY, it shares some of the sweet characteristics of its blended sibling - but right out of the gate we fell in love with its unbridled, yet still refined, character. At 118.8 proof, there’s much more oomph in each sip - full bodied and oily, it easily carries the viscous notes of milk chocolate, candied oranges, toffee and short bread biscuits. The first wave of confectionary flavors, quickly give way to a much more complex mélange of autumnal notes. Plums, cranberries, spiced almonds, strong white tea and vanilla custard with a touch of cinnamon spice bring to mind a warming Thanksgiving spread. A few drops of water reign in some of the louder notes, bringing out a more gentle and playful dram, mellowing into a classic apple pie flavors with zings of cranberry, orange zest and pralines. A slight cereal note also appears, bearing a non-trivial resemblance to sweet wheated bourbons (despite having no wheat in the mash bill!) The finish is consistent, confident and long: apple preserves, caramel and light smoke with worn leather and wisps of tobacco. This is a jolly fun ride, and we’re quite thrilled with our new single barrel purebred.
A very select few retail partners have partnered with Pinhook on the Single Barrel side of their vertical series. We're excited to be representing all of Northern California on the journey! And like the batched release side of things, once a year we will be adding a new single barrel from the original set, starting with this 6 year and going all the way up to 12. Start putting your set together now, it's going to be a really fun ride!
Our single barrel has been bottled at 6 years, and it’s definitely not shy about it’s breeding. Distilled from a 75% corn/20.5% rye/4.5% malted barley mash bill, and aged at the Castle & Key rick houses in Frankfort, KY, it shares some of the sweet characteristics of its blended sibling - but right out of the gate we fell in love with its unbridled, yet still refined, character. At 118.8 proof, there’s much more oomph in each sip - full bodied and oily, it easily carries the viscous notes of milk chocolate, candied oranges, toffee and short bread biscuits. The first wave of confectionary flavors, quickly give way to a much more complex mélange of autumnal notes. Plums, cranberries, spiced almonds, strong white tea and vanilla custard with a touch of cinnamon spice bring to mind a warming Thanksgiving spread. A few drops of water reign in some of the louder notes, bringing out a more gentle and playful dram, mellowing into a classic apple pie flavors with zings of cranberry, orange zest and pralines. A slight cereal note also appears, bearing a non-trivial resemblance to sweet wheated bourbons (despite having no wheat in the mash bill!) The finish is consistent, confident and long: apple preserves, caramel and light smoke with worn leather and wisps of tobacco. This is a jolly fun ride, and we’re quite thrilled with our new single barrel purebred.
A very select few retail partners have partnered with Pinhook on the Single Barrel side of their vertical series. We're excited to be representing all of Northern California on the journey! And like the batched release side of things, once a year we will be adding a new single barrel from the original set, starting with this 6 year and going all the way up to 12. Start putting your set together now, it's going to be a really fun ride!
