Pinhook 2021 Flagship Rye Hard Rye Guy Review

Hard Rye Guy is having a hard rye time.

Pinhook Distillery made a splash in 2014 when they rolled out their first collection of bourbon. The splash in large part comes from Sean Josephs, the Master Blender, co-founder, and certified sommelier. Josephs follows wine rules with the whiskies, meaning the distillery only releases blended bottles that represent the best crop from that particular. So essentially, each year’s releases are truly different and limited edition.

If the winery style wasn’t enough, the distillery has also placed its bet on the thoroughbred industry. Alongside a unique crop, each whiskey release is also named for a specific thoroughbred horse (hopefully a good one). Needless to say, Pinhook has covered all of its marketing bases, but how does the product actually hold up?

Well, our first run of Pinhook was with their 2021 High Proof Bourbon: Bourbon Heist, and it was a real winner. So when it came to the 2021 Flagship Rye: Hard Rye Guy, we were ready for another frontrunner. Sadly though, this horse stumbled off the blocks.

Hard Rye Guy contains a mash bill of 60% rye, 20% corn, and 20% malted barley. That combination yields a rye whiskey with a spicy, herby start that’s filled with eucalyptus flavor. All of that gives way to a middle sweetness that lays out fruity flavors like cherry and apricot. Together, this profile would be delightful except for one little problem – the heat. From the starting sip, the heat of this whisky takes center-stage and refuses to leave all the way through the long finish. For 98 proof, a bit of heat can be expected, but nothing quite like this.

The answer to this issue might lay in the age statement. Pinhook has been very open and honest about their current contracting arrangement with the Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Although Pinhook creates each blend, the whiskies are distilled and aged at Castle & Key. We have no real issue with this – it’s honestly pretty standard practice. Our only beef, then, was with the age statement. Sure there is no official, legal age requirement for rye whiskey, but age still plays a significant role in the whiskey’s flavor and often can an explanation for a lackluster taste.

Although this rye whiskey is legally classified as a two-year-old whiskey, in a comment to us, Sean Josephs does clarify that “by far the majority of this whiskey is 3 years old and many of the barrels were north of 3 years old. An extremely small portion of the blend is just shy of 3 years though which of course requires a 2 year age statement. Label aside, for all practical purposes the whiskey is 3 years old.”

However, despite the age statements, Hard Rye Guy remains a rye whiskey filled with flavor that unfortunately takes a back seat to the overwhelming heat. Perhaps the issue comes down to age, perhaps it comes down to a poor rye crop for 2021, but in the case of Hard Rye Guy, the grape needs to go back on the vine.