Pinhook

Pinhook Bourbon is an American whiskey brand founded in 2011 by Sean Josephs, Charles Fulford, and Jay Peterson, built on a distinctive vintage-inspired approach to bourbon and rye whiskey production. Rather than replicating an identical product year after year, the company embraces the natural variation of individual barrels to craft a uniquely expressive whiskey with each annual release — drawing a direct parallel to the way winemakers produce annual vintages. This philosophy positions Pinhook as a standout innovator within the broader American whiskey category.

The company's origins trace back to 2011, when its founders purchased 20 barrels from Lawrenceburg Distillers in Indiana — now known as MGP — and shipped them to Kentucky for aging. Over the following three years, the team made frequent visits to Kentucky to monitor barrel development and deepen their understanding of bourbon's birthplace. During this period, they identified compelling parallels between bourbon production and the thoroughbred horse racing industry, which ultimately inspired the brand name. "Pinhook" is an old industry term referring to the practice of buying young horses and developing them through to racing maturity — a concept that mirrors the company's patient, barrel-forward approach to whiskey.

Pinhook released its debut bourbon in the fall of 2014 to strong critical reception. A pivotal milestone followed in 2017 when Castle & Key restored production at Kentucky's historic Old Taylor Distillery — a site that had been dormant for nearly 50 years — and Pinhook began distilling its own proprietary mash bills there. The resulting bottlings marked the first whiskeys to emerge from that landmark facility in decades and now anchor Pinhook's core product lineup.

The brand produces both bourbon and rye whiskey, each selected through multiple rounds of rigorous blending and proofing to achieve the most balanced and expressive result possible for that year's harvest. Proof levels and tasting profiles may shift slightly from vintage to vintage, but quality and character remain consistent hallmarks of every release.

Among Pinhook's most acclaimed offerings is its Vertical Series Rye, an ongoing project that tracks a group of 450 MGP barrels from 4 to 16 years of age, releasing a new expression each year to highlight the evolving character of the rye at each stage of maturity. The 10-Year expression in this series has earned significant industry recognition, including back-to-back Best American Rye honors at the Ascot Awards and a Best American Rye Whiskey award at the International Wine & Spirits Competition. The Vertical Series is composed of a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, bottled at 106 proof.

Today, Pinhook is distributed across approximately half of U.S. states and continues to build a loyal following among dedicated whiskey enthusiasts and new drinkers alike. The brand's founding team brought complementary expertise to the venture: sommelier credentials and deep whiskey knowledge, professional design and branding acumen, and a background in business and the equine industry. That diverse foundation continues to shape a brand that is as thoughtfully crafted as it is commercially compelling.