WHA have been big fans of Pinhook for quite a few years now.
So when we got the chance to visit their distillery, located at the historic Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, and step inside one of the longest rickhouses in the US on our last barrel picking trip… we didn’t hold back.
We’re talking a 534-foot-long rickhouse (163m), often referred to as the longest in the country, holding up to 35,000 barrels and sitting at the heart of the old Taylor Distillery grounds.
Tasting through a number of small-batch bourbons, we loved it so much we ended up selecting two casks on the spot.
This is the first one to land.
And it also happens to be the first Australian exclusive Pinhook single barrel, hand selected by the WHA team.
A 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, bottled at a punchy 57.5% ABV / 115 Proof from a single barrel (#3074).
What makes this release particularly interesting is that it’s part of the newer wave from Pinhook using their own distillate, not sourced MGP whiskey.
The result is a profile that leans bright, fresh, and composed, without the heavy-handed oak or sweetness you sometimes see at this age.
Picked on the ground by WHA’s Brock Tregellas, TWL’s Scott Allan, and bourbon diehard Andrew Christy.
We tasted through a number of barrels in Rick House B.
Then this one showed up. It stood out straight away.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange zest, leather, oak, cloves
Palate: Fresh oak, jaffa cake, cooked cloves on the front, fresh cloves on the back
Finish: Long, coating, and dangerously easy to go back to
Summary: Incredibly well balanced with surprisingly little heat for the ABV. This is cask strength bourbon you can actually sit on.
