Day 17 of DB's Bourbon Trail 2023 Advent Calendar - Pinhook Bourbon War 7 Year

Cheers and welcome to our 4th Annual Advent Calendar! Throughout the next month, we will be going on a high-end bourbon journey together and reviewing 25 bourbons from award winning distilleries across America. Starting on December 1st and ending on December 25th - we will get to experience everything from small batches to single barrels that are jam packed with flavor. Please join us in toasting to another incredible year and getting to virtually share some of our favorite bottles from this past year with you!

**This review has been completed by using a Glencairn glass and neat if you want to compare the same tasting notes as DB’s Bourbon Trail. BUT - the best thing about it being YOUR bourbon is that you get to enjoy it that way YOU want to and prefer! As long as it brings us together and you are enjoying it - pour it over ice, add water, or add it to a cocktail! It’s all about what makes you happy and what you enjoy - don’t let others influence you differently!**

Enough of me rambling, let’s dive into what brought us here!

Day 17 of DB’s Bourbon Trail 2023 Advent Calendar

Pinhook Bourbon War - Vertical Series 7 Year

Proof:

• 115 Proof (57.7%)

Distillery:

• Most Pinhook is from Castle and Key Distillery (Frankfort, KY). According to their website - "Nestled on 113 acres of rolling hills in a castle that holds more than a century of distilling history, Castle & Key distills, ages, blends and bottles Pinhook under the direction of Pinhook Master Taster Sean Josephs."

• This Bourbon is actually made of MGP barrels so this has been Distilled in Lawrenceburg, IN. It was bottled by Kentucky Artisan Distillery (Crestwood, KY)

Age Statment:

• 7 Years

The Horse:

• Name: Bourbon War

• Horse Size: 16.0 Hands

• Color: Bay

• Sex: Colt

• "One of our most promising horses to date, Bourbon War after narrowly missing the 2019 Kentucky Derby, was able to run in the Preakness as well as The Belmont. We can't wait to watch this horse mature along with our future releases of bourbon."

• 21 Starts / 2 Wins / 3 Places / 2 Shows

• Career Earnings: $277,624

• Owned by Bourbon Lane Stables and Lake Star Stable

• Bred by Conquest Stables, LLC.

Message on the bottle:

"This 7 year Bourbon is vintage 4 of 9 in the Vertical Series. The Series follows a group of barrels as they age over the course of 9 years"

Price Point:

**At DB’s Bourbon Trail we utilize an app called BoozApp (not sponsored - we wish!) to ensure we are getting at least a fair price on our bourbon before purchasing. Nothing is worse than getting taken advantage of by a flipper playing the supply/demand game**

• Average MSRP:

  • $69.99

• Fair Price:

  • $88.88

• Shelf Price:

  • $81.27

• DB’s Bourbon Trail Instant Buy Price:

  • <$80.00

Review:

Pinhook names their bourbons after promising young thoroughbreds and with that comes some promising pours!

I have been following Bourbon War since it first came out with it's 4 year bourbon. It actually was Day 17 in our first ever advent calendars and we have been in love with the bottle and story ever since.

From their website:

The Bourbon Vertical Series is a unique opportunity to follow a group of 1,350 MGP bourbon barrels as they age from four to twelve years, and experience the arc of flavors throughout the nine-year journey. Every year, Pinhook selects a group of bourbon barrels from the lot and blends and proofs them to create the most balanced expression of the whiskey at that age. The Vertical Series began with the inaugural 4 Year release in 2019, and the journey continues through annual releases up to age 12.

Nose:

• The nose of this pour has a rich and inviting aroma of Cinnamon Raison Bagel, Molasses, and Oak

Palate:

• The palate of this pour is rich and allows spice to kick up but be contained by the sweetness. This is filled with Brown Sugar Molasses, Cinnamon, and hints of Leather

Finish:

• The finish is Long and filled with Cinnamon Spice, Oak, and Leather. This one just doesn't want to leave and to be honest, I'm okay with it this chilly Sunday!

Final Thoughts:

The saying, "it gets better with age" is strong with this one! Not to discredit any of the years prior, because they are incredible in their own way, but this bottle is something else. It brings the worlds of sweet and spice together for a very well balanced and complex pour.

Shout out to Pinhook! Solid pour!

Cheers y’all!

Interesting in what else we might have cooking? Learn more here!

Let's Connect!

• Have you ever had this pour?

• Thoughts on the review?

• Leave a comment below and share your experience - we would love to hear from you!