When Pinhook released a 4 year old bourbon as the first iteration of the Vertical Series in 2019, it was something of an anomaly—tracking the same sourced whiskey at different ages, with only the ABV varying (though it always hovers at high proof, given that it's bottled at cask strength). Such an experiment into maturation hadn’t been carried out so intentionally before the inception of the Vertical Series. The first rye in the Vertical Series debuted in 2020 and was a 4 year old bottled at 46.5% ABV; now in the series’ fourth annual release, the 8 year old rye is out.
Made from 95% rye and 5% malted barley, Pinhook’s 8 year old, MGP-sourced rye, “Tiz Rye Time,” builds on the proof of its 2023 predecessor (which came in at 52.56% ABV), clocking in at a cask strength of 54.2% ABV. While the Pinhook production team has generally found that the proof will increase as age does, this hasn’t always been the case with the Rye Vertical, as last year’s 7 year old release registered a slight dip in proof from the 2022 6 year old rye (which was also bottled at 54% ABV). This 8 year old rye was blended from 32 barrels; the aging and blending were done at Castle & Key in Frankfort, Kentucky, where Pinhook has had a distilling partnership since 2017. The new whiskey is available nationwide for $85.
Pinhook has a complementary vertical experiment ongoing for bourbon, which is set to see a 9 year old whiskey this year. Ultimately, both sides of the Vertical Series will continue until the whiskeys are 12 years old, at which point the brand will be out of this batch of barrels.
