Pinhook High Proof Bourbon “Bourbon Heist” 2021
Pinhook Bourbon Heist - High Proof Bourbon 2021
As always, extended reviews & thoughts on the website (link in the bio)...Pinhook is a newer brand that I have seen on the shelves for the past couple of years but never purchased a bottle. I relented a few weeks back when one of my local stores sold me a bottle of Weller Special Reserve for a whopping $30 and then pointed out this Pinhook Bourbon Heist, so I felt obligated to pick it up. Bourbon Heist, this bottle’s namesake, is a race horse, which seems to be the marketing schtick that Pinhook adheres to. I don’t know much about racing horses, so I will leave that to better people to expound on.
Sourced bourbon from Castle & Key with a mash bill of 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Malted Barley. Aged 3 years. (UPDATED: Pinhook messaged me to inform me that the average age in the blend is closer to 3.5 years, which I had previously stated at 3 years)
ABV: 59.93%
How it smells…strong alcohol smell (for ~60%, it’s not surprising), light vanilla, oak, some floral scents….with a little water, a little more baking spices forward with cocoa.
How it tastes…starts off with cola and then a burst of cinnamon, ending in honey with a vanilla finish…with some water, spicier to start followed by honey and ending in rich baking chocolate and chili peppers with a savory cinnamon finish.
Price…$50
Rating...🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts….for a very high proof 3 year old bourbon, it’s not bad. Without the water, it took a while to get a decent nose on it as the alcohol vapors were a bit jarring, but with a dab of water you get way more out of it. I think the same can be said for the taste. Straight up, it’s a high octane bourbon with the traditional flavors, but with a bit of water, it opens up, providing a more nuanced spectrum of taste. A 3x 🥃 seems appropriate for the taste/price tradeoff. I will not buy another bottle of this particular release as I think there are better $50 well proofed bottles out there, but that is mainly driven by the cola-forward flavor. There’s nothing wrong with cola as a flavor, it’s just not my personal favorite when it comes to bourbons. That said, I am intrigued enough to want to try some of their other, more aged releases.
I will also admit that my notes as to how it smells and tastes differ widely from what the distillery has put on their website as the official tasting notes. For the full strength sip, Pinhook describes much more fruit forward tastes, with peaches, mango, nectarine, papaya and maple. I did get the cinnamon though!
For the “Flagship Bourbon” release of Bourbon Heist, which is at 98 proof and is probably pretty close to what my “with some water” sip tastes like, they describe orange blossom, nutmeg, fresh-roasted coffee, butterscotch, toasted coconut, almond, and sassafras. Again, my tasting differed a bit, but certainly closer with those roasted malty notes and the baking spices.
Pinhhook did indicate that, especially with the high proof, the oxidation changes the flavors a bit, opening them up. I currently have a half bottle left and will revisit this sip to see if there are any changes in a few months and update the review accordingly.
