Review #: 362
Description: Pinhook Bourbon: r/Bourbon & Seelbach’s Private Small Batch
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: This is one of the first, true, cask strength, small batch blends released by Pinhook. A series of 12 tasters between Seelbach’s and r/Bourbon spent about 8 hours on site blending and tasting to come up with this final batch. It consists of 3 barrels, all of which were distilled on April 7th, 2017 and aged in Warehouse B on Castle & Key’s property (a brick warehouse). Bottled at 118.3 proof, these small blends are not only great fun for the selection committee, but often provide a cool link between a group and offers a much higher yield to share with others.
Distillery – Castle & Key
Bottler – Pinhook
Brand – Pinhook
Selection – r/Bourbon & Seelbach’s
ABV – 59.15%
Age – 4 Years
Nose – Buttered popcorn, seasoned oak, rhubarb pie, green apple, a bit of hay, sourdough bread, sour cherries
Taste – Strawberry syrup, vanilla, cinnamon bun, toffee, buttery kettle corn. Very fruity but sweetness is contained
Finish – Bright oak, dried strawberries, black pepper, spicy cinnamon, apple danish, slight burnt bitterness
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: This is really a fun blend. Super fruity, and even with fairly young distillate, it stays balanced with the barrel. It really is unique and with the cost being around $50, it’s certainly reasonable. I would say my previous pours I enjoyed it a bit more than this review, but even breaking it down it is really nice. A bit of the youth comes through, but not in a detracting way. I look forward to more small batch blends to come from the groups.