Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 4 Year Old Review (2020)

Updated August 26, 2020

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

Castle & Key Distillery is known for being the revival of the neo-Gothic castle that was the Old Taylor plant, as well as being the former home of Master Distiller Marianne Eaves, Kentucky’s first woman to hold that title and something of a prodigy. However, before the distillery actually went into operation, it had a brand associated with it: Pinhook.

Pinhook tends to borrow heavily from thoroughbred horse racing for its themes, which is rather appropriate when you consider its McCracken Pike address is a short and scenic drive from Keeneland’s back door. Part of the brand’s line-up is a vertical series, releasing progressively older whiskeys from its in-house stock. Tiz Rye Time vertical series opened this spring with Tiz the Law as its namesake, a 2020 Belmont Stakes winner. It’s a four year old, bottled at 97 proof, and sourced from MGP’s ubiquitous 95% rye stock.

The Whiskey
Not all MGP-based ryes are the same, and here the differences show. Any whiskey enthusiast worth his salt ought to be somewhat familiar with a mature MGP-based rye, as there are so many of them out there. Past the copper coloring, this whiskey isn’t anything like any of that club.

The nose is full of pumpernickel, vanilla and cedar. The spicy flavor is accented by more vanilla, a less distinct evergreen and minty current, and that before it turns peppery on the back end. The finish runs peppery and a touch hot, and that at below 100 proof. Overall, it’s bold, ballsy, and not particularly refined. I think it’s a bit of a miss taken straight, but ice balances it out better, and it has a distinctive, enjoyable character that calls out for use in a cocktail.

The Price
This item had a sizable, 12,500 bottle production run and is priced at $45 a bottle.