Pinhook’s New Rye Will Be the Whiskey World’s First Look at What’s Coming Off the Still at Castle & Key

Pinhook Rye'd On. Courtesy Photo.

Pinhook’s upcoming Rye’d On release will be the brand’s inaugural release of Kentucky Straight Rye – and our first taste of the whiskey coming off the still at Castle & Key Distillery.

Past rye releases from the Pinhook brand have been sourced from Indiana and made with a 95% rye and 5% malted barley recipe. The new Rye’d On will have a unique mashbill of 60% rye, 20% corn, and 20% malt, and was distilled, aged, and bottled at Castle & Key.

“Beginning three years ago, we’ve made our home at Castle & Key Distillery, originally built in 1887 by the legendary Colonel E.H. Taylor in storied Woodford County, Kentucky,” said Sean Josephs, Pinhook Co-Founder and Master Taster. “The very first Pinhook barrels we’ve distilled there are now mature.”

“We are thrilled to present the first bottling of the custom mash bill we created with Castle & Key, and the first whiskey to come out of the resurrected Old Taylor Distillery since its abandonment in 1972.  This is a big moment for Pinhook and for American whiskey,” he continued.

While rye whiskey is generally spicier than its corn-based bourbon cousin, Pinhook tells us that the notably high proportion of malted barley in the mashbill distilled at Castle & Key will bring “a savory, nutty, umami element that adds complexity, depth of flavor, and a rich, creamy texture.”

Each year, the brand releases a bourbon and rye each named for a promising young thoroughbred at their Bourbon Lane stables. They proof and blend each release to perfection, with this release coming in at 97. “Rye’d On,” a chestnut colt, and is three years old just like his namesake whiskey.

Those in the Louisville area wanting a preview of the new rye can head to Justins’ House of Bourbon at 101 W. Market on Thursday, February 13th from 6-8 PM to sip with Josephs and shop Pinhook and other labels. Link here for more information.

Pinhook Rye’d On will be hitting shelves in the coming weeks, arriving by early March for a suggested retail price of $38. Link here to find out where to shop. 

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.