Wilderness Trail Distillery is a craft operation that was launched in 2012 in Bold Danville, Kentucky. Mixing old traditions with modern science, they aim to create fine bourbon and other spirits. Founded by Shane Baker and Pat Heist, a pair with over 20 years of experience with fermentation and alcohol production under their belts, they craft unique spirits using locally-grown grains. Their spirits are hand-crafted and they pride themselves on being "not interested in making the most, just the best." The founders were left with several yeast strains they had collected over the years in the industry and put them to good use in the distillery. The premium corn, wheat, and rye are sourced from the nearby Caverndale Farms and Walnut Grove Farms from Adairville, Kentucky, while their malted barley comes from Louisville. The natural Kentucky limestone springwater completes the 100% Kentucky list of ingredients. Their production methods include the proprietary Infusion Mashing Process, which together with their unique yeast strains results in a softer and uniquely flavorful distillate. They are the first Kentucky bourbon distillery to use a chemical-free clean steam boiler that minimizes off flavors. Instead of sour mash, they rely on a sweet mash, which enables more flavors to be extracted from the grains. They employ a hybrid pot still, as well as two continuous column stills. All the whiskey is distilled, aged, and bottled on-site. Wilderness Trail produces bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka, and bourbon barrel-aged rum. The Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey expression employs their sweet mash process and the spirit is barrelled at 100 and 105 proof. These numbers used to be higher, so the final proof of the bottles can vary. Crafted from a mash bill of 56% Kentucky-grown Heritage rye (from the local KY Proud farm), 33% corn, and 11% malted barley, the rye whiskey is then aged for a minimum of 4 years and up to 8 years in the upper floors of their rickhouses. 

Lovingly handcrafted and aged in Kentucky, Pinhook Bourbon was established in 2014 and has produced several small-batch bottlings in their newly restored Castle & Key distillery in Frankfort, KY, to much critical acclaim. What makes their line unique is the brand's three distinctive characteristics: its limited availability, mass appeal, and strong ties to Kentucky's legacy of horse racing. Each release of Pinhook Bourbon is named after a thoroughbred owned by Bourbon Lane Stable. The label also features the horses racing records on their brand's website. Every fall Pinhook features an annual vintage of Pinhook Bourbon and Pinhook Rye, each of which is inspired by a thoroughbred horse. Each blend is as unique as the horse on the label. "Pinhooking" refers to an old Kentucky term for purchasing young thoroughbreds, holding them until they mature, and selling them when they are ready to run. Successful pinhooks much like whiskey are made on instinct, experience, an appreciation of quality, and a little luck. Pinhook bourbons and ryes are handcrafted to reflect the richness of the Kentucky soil and the character of its beautiful horse country. The 2020 rye expression is Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 4YO Vertical Series, a straight rye whiskey that is crafted from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. Bottled at 97 proof, it's the first of a new annual-release series. "It will be exciting to follow the maturation of both rye and bourbon over the course of 9 years and understand how each style of whiskey progresses individually as well as in comparison to the other," says Master Blender Sean Josephs. "The 4 Year old rye at 97 proof is already showing great complexity, depth and structure and I am fascinated to go on this whiskey journey which will culminate with a 12 year old rye in 2028."

John Emerald Distilling Company is a family-run small-batch craft distillery from Opelika, Alabama that has been operational since 2014. It is the first legal distillery that opened in the state since the end of the Prohibition era, a year short of a hundred years later. It all started when John and his son Jimmy Sharp, both homebrewers, started looking into opening a brewery. Finding the market to be oversaturated, they turned to craft distilling instead and started rigorous training and education. They came upon an old cotton warehouse in Opelika, a small and business-friendly town where the mayor welcomed them with open arms. The distillery now operates on 8 thousand square feet and has a tasting room that is open for visitors. They produce several spirits using their 350-gallon hybrid pot, each product named after one of John's and Jimmy's ancestors their (grand) father John Emerald Sharp, a successful businessman, being the distillery's namesake. The spirits include award-winning gin, vodka, rum, and a single malt. The latter John Emerald Alabama Single Malt Whiskey is at the very core of their lineup and is the only one to share the name with the distillery itself. Then there's Hugh Wesley's Gin, Elizabeth Vodka, Spurgeon's Barrel Aged Rum, and Gene's Spiced Rum. The John Emerald Purveyor's Series Double Wood is a rye whiskey that is aged in new American oak barrels. But there's a twist, the barrels are filled with pecan wood chips. This unique method of finishing the whiskey ensures that an extraordinary amount of liquid comes into contact with the wood, imparting the sweet and spicy rye with additional nutty pecan notes. The unique rye whiskey is bottled at 86 proof. 

Tequila Finish: We finished our straight rye whiskey in Extra Añejo Tequila barrels. The result is remarkably unique tequila finished whiskey with notes of agave and vanilla on the nose and honey, peppercorn and orange citrus to taste. Pairing tequila and whiskey is always a risky move, but this was a risk worth the reward.

Tasting Notes

PALATE: Rich agave and sweet notes of honey paired with bitter orange, dried fig with floral notes. Spicy peppercorn creates a lasting finish.

PROOF: 98 (49% ABV)

AGE: 4 – 5 Years

It took over 70 years after the prohibition had ended for the distilling industry to return to New York City. New York had a flourishing distilling industry by the early 19th century, however things changed during the Civil War, when President Lincoln taxed spirits to fund the military. This resulted in many distilleries going underground before the end of the century. The fatal blow for the legal distilling industry in US came in 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment came into effect making the production of alcohol illegal. It was only in the 21st century that small distilleries started resurging in New York. The New York Distilling Company, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one of the oldest distilleries in the city, and was founded in 2011 by Tom Potter, a co-founder of the Brooklyn Brewery, and Allen Katz, one of the nation's leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. The distillery specializes in gins and rye whiskeys and has been one of the pioneers of the city's distilling renaissance that builds upon the pre-prohibition heritage. Gin distilling in New York began in the 17th century, when Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam (as New York was then called) started making a version of the Dutch spirit genever. However, it wasn't until the early 19th century when the first commercial gin was produced in the US. Gin was a popular drink during the prohibition, as it was simple to make. American gin is a bit different from London and other European gins as a result of using other botanicals. Ragtime Applejack Barrel Finished Rye Whiskey brings together two traditional strong drinks from the northeast US rye whiskey and applejack, which was most probably the first spirit to be produced in the first New York State distillery built in 1640. This whiskey is a version of the distillery's flagship Straight Rye Whiskey. After aging for two years in oak, the rye whiskey is finished for 90 days in barrels that previously held applejack in New York's Black Dirt Distillery.

It took over 70 years after the prohibition had ended for the distilling industry to return to New York City. New York had a flourishing distilling industry by the early 19th century, however things changed during the Civil War, when President Lincoln taxed spirits to fund the military. This resulted in many distilleries going underground before the end of the century. The fatal blow for the legal distilling industry in US came in 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment came into effect making the production of alcohol illegal. It was only in the 21st century that small distilleries started resurging in New York. The New York Distilling Company, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one of the oldest distilleries in the city, and was founded in 2011 by Tom Potter, a co-founder of the Brooklyn Brewery, and Allen Katz, one of the nation's leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. The distillery specializes in gins and rye whiskeys and has been one of the pioneers of the city's distilling renaissance that builds upon the pre-prohibition heritage. Gin distilling in New York began in the 17th century, when Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam (as New York was then called) started making a version of the Dutch spirit genever. However, it wasn't until the early 19th century when the first commercial gin was produced in the US. Gin was a popular drink during the prohibition, as it was simple to make. American gin is a bit different from London and other European gins as a result of using other botanicals. The Ragtime Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey features a 75% rye, 13% corn and 12% malted barley mash bill. In addition to meeting the Empire Rye standards, this bottled-in-bond edition of New York Distilling Company's flagship Ragtime Rye is also compliant with the strict Federal Bottled in Bond Regulations. This whiskey is matured in full-size barrels for a minimum of four years and is bottled at 50% ABV.

Founded in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, IL in 2011, Few Spirits is a grain-to-glass distillery that crafts award-winning whiskey and gin, while constantly innovating and experimenting in order to bring surprising flavors to the discerning drinker. Evanston held the 1893 World's Fair, where the US was introduced to several modern inventions. The town was also known as the seat of Prohibition and would remain a dry community long after Prohibition was repealed in 1933. These 2 events became the inspiration that fueled the distiller Paul Hletko's vision of creating Few Spirits, the first legal distillery ever to craft spirits in Evanston. The ever-creative Hletko has always loved making new things, whether as an engineer, lawyer, or musician. "At the end of the day, I like to have created something that didnt exist that morning and offers something completely different," says Hletko of the passion that drove him to open the distillery. With it he focused on creating urban whiskey that could rival that of his Kentucky friends with humble beginnings in an old chop shop. Now he crafts artisanal small-batch spirits using locally-sourced grains, ages them in American oak barrels and bottles on-site into US-made glass bottles. Hletko was named Distiller of the Year in 2018's edition of the Gin Magazine's "Icons of Gin" feature. The Few Immortal Rye expression is based on their award-winning grain-to-glass Straight Rye Whiskey that is aged in air-dried oak barrels. The cask-strength straight rye that has received a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is then brought to proof with 8 Immortals oolong tea, resulting in a complex whiskey that retains its rye character and ramps up the complexity with fruity and creamy notes of the famous tea.

Lovingly handcrafted and aged in Kentucky, Pinhook Bourbon was established in 2014 and has produced several small batch bottlings in their newly restored Castle & Key distillery in Frankfort, KY, to much critical acclaim. What makes their line unique is the brand's three distinctive characteristics: its limited availability, mass appeal and strong ties to Kentucky's legacy of horse racing. Each release of Pinhook Bourbon is named after a thoroughbred owned by Bourbon Lane Stable. The label also features the horses racing records on their brand's website. Every fall Pinhook releases a new bourbon and rye, each of which is connected to a promising young thoroughbred horse. The whiskey in each release is the best expression of our barrels at that moment in time, and we blend and proof each release to be as unique as the horse on the label. The result is an annual vintage of Pinhook Bourbon and Pinhook Rye that become instant collectibles. The Rye Humor release is the second edition of straight rye whiskeys produced by Pinhook. The traditional mashbill has over 3 years of barrel age and was blended and cut to 97 proof by Sean Josephs at Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, KY. This straight rye whiskey has a perfumed nose of elderflower, aromatic wood, and preserved lemon which leads to a palate of dried papaya and caramel. Toasted vanilla, candied black licorice and honey linger, balancing an elegant yet powerful rye.

Elijah Pepper began distilling whiskey at the dawn of the American Revolution and during the War of 1812, he built the first log cabin distillery in Versailles, Kentucky. Eventually, he passed the family business on to his son, Oscar, and then on to his grandson, James E. Pepper. Colonel James E. Pepper was one of Kentucky's first Bourbon aristocrats he raced thoroughbreds in the Kentucky Derby, traveled in a private rail car and made famous the Old Fashioned cocktail. "Pepper Whisky is an old fashioned whisky, made in the old time way from a formula used for more than 100 years by three generations of the Pepper family," wrote James, in an advertisement dated August 22, 1887. "We claim not only to make the oldest but absolutely the purest and best brand of whisky made in America, and we invite comparison with any whisky of any age." In 1958, after the whiskey industry fell on hard times, the James E. Pepper Distillery was forced to close its doors. During its tenure, Pepper Whiskey, or "Old 1776 Whiskey" as it became known as, was a favorite of Presidents Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant, and was preferred by Daniel Webster, a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts. Today the re-launched brand is back in full force. "We did extensive research and spent years collecting and analyzing full, preserved bottles of original Pepper Whiskey," says Amir Peay. They even acquired a letter written by Pepper himself, detailing the exact mash bill and recipe used to create Old 1776. "We wanted to pay homage to Pepper's legacy and do our best to recreate the original Pepper Whiskey something that was part of American history," he says. The limited-quantity Single Barrel Rye Whiskey contains some of their best barrels. Crafted from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, this straight rye is double oaked, meaning it goes for a second round of maturation in heavily toasted Kentucky oak barrels that have been air-dried for 2 years. It's a rich and complex 4-year-old rye that is bottled at 110 proof.

Manhattan Finish : Awarded 94-points from the Beverage Testing Institute.

We finished our straight rye whiskey in vermouth, bitters, and cherry brandy barrels to create a unique Manhattan Finished Rye Whiskey. Herbaceous undertones and fresh cherry sweetness make this an incredible whiskey to mix into its namesake, or savour on its own.

Tasting Notes

PALATE: Spicy herbaceous, bright cherry, vanilla, honey, a touch of dryness at the finish.

PROOF: 103 (51.5% ABV)

AGE: 4 – 5 Years

DESCRIPTION

Complex, full and spicy

COLOUR: Antique gold

AROMA: Balanced with toasted grains, gentle wood notes and a tantalizing hint of sweet vanilla

TASTE: Complex balance of rye spiciness, caramel and oak notes, warm and creamy

FINISH: Long clean finish with hints of clove, oak and vanilla

Our Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye is born at 7,400 feet above sea level in Colorado’s pristine San Luis Valley on the Cody Family farm which has been cultivating this low yield, semi-wild rye grain since the 1930's. Using our traditional, labor intensive distilling technique we bring this grain's unique, individual character to life while our open-air, on-grain sour mash process adds the soulful complexity found within all our whiskey. Aged for a minimum of three years in our rarified thin air, this rye is luxurious in texture and generous in perfume. 

This special expression of our flagship Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye is the first Bonded Rye in Colorado history. Aged six years, this distinctive offering exemplifies the craftsmanship, patience, and perseverance that are the hallmarks of the Laws ?here Are No Shortcuts?mantra. All of our grains are grown & harvested from family-owned Colorado Farms, furthermore our traditional practice of open air, on-grain fermentation captures the essence of Colorado? terroir with the result being a truly unapologetic authentic American Whiskey. The US Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 was an important turning point in the history of bourbon and set forth exacting standards that offered consumers a guarantee of transparency, process, and quality. Specifically, it stipulated that the whiskey must be the product of one distilling season, from one distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof. 123 years later, this designation continues to offer those same guarantees, providing consumers with the knowledge of where, how, and when the Bourbon was produced and aged.

Peppery and floral notes overflow in this white whiskey, which some compare to aquavit. It is a traditional American spirit. George Washington made it in his distillery, and it was common in the New World before the rise of bourbon after the Whiskey Rebellion. Our unaged White Rye is perfect when sipped neat but also excellent over ice or in classic and contemporary cocktails. Barely touching the barrel before being bottled, this is the true essence of rye without being overshadowed by oak.

This distinguished straight rye whiskey is hand-crafted from rye and other grains which are 100% locally grown in New York State. Aged two to three years, this rye begins its journey in new American oak barrels and is then finished for at least one year in used Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.  Notably bottled at cask strength, this impressive rye is incredibly complex and compares favorably to even the most prestigious names in the category.  

2020 Gold – USA Spirits Ratings 96 points

2020 96 Points – The Tasting Panel

2019 Gold – John Barleycorn Awards

2018 Gold – NY World Wine & Spirits

2018 Gold Medal – Artisan Awards Competition

2018 Gold Rye Whiskey – 50 Best

This straight rye whiskey’s deep and dense aromas of dark chocolate, candied black licorice, and vanilla extract set the stage for robust flavors of raisins, tobacco, cinnamon stick, and sarsaparilla.

Discover Pinhook Rye: A Barrel of Humor and True Rye Delight! Uncover the Finest Single Barrel Rye Whiskey at RoyalBatch.com. Cheers to 100% Satisfaction!