This is my second Pinhook rye, the first being Bourbon-n-Rye. That one was a solid effort. Didn’t blow me away by any means, but was good enough to earn repeat business half a decade later. I actually had a pour of this from a friend years ago and made a note of getting one for myself. Here we are. Nose: Caramel and vanilla. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Cinnamon Apple Jack’s. Black licorice. Maybe a little black cherry in there. A little oil in there. Pistachio. Again. Very light. Palate: Vanilla and toffee. Big on the black pepper and pipe smoke. Gala apple/Cinnamon Apple Jack. Leaning toward the former. Rye and dill are strong here. Black licorice. Soda bread. Lemon citrus. A bit of sawdust. Finish: Heavy on the black pepper and cinnamon. Rye spice. Clove and nutmeg. Rye and dill. A bit of pipe smoke and cocoa. Another solid effort from Castle & Key. There’s absolutely nothing groundbreaking here. Personally, it’s a bit mild for me as far as profile goes. But the notes I pick up are quite enjoyable. And the VFM is unreal. $28 for a 48.5% rye whiskey? That takes this up from a 3.5/5 to a 3.75. Well done.