Light charred oak | Vanilla syrup | Summer fruit salad | Caramel | Light orange rind | Pine

Syrup | Caramel | Summer fruits | Subtle rye spice | Chewy oak | Sweet with subtle spice

Rye spice | Dry chewy oak | Leather | Peppercorn blend | Noticeably dry

Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 7 Year is the fourth bottle in the brand’s vertical rye series following last year's 6 year old release. This year’s release sees the brand decrease in proof after increasing in proof with each of the first three bottles in the series. This year's edition is made up of a blend of 28 barrels in total and sees the price jump from $60 to $78, a 30% premium over last year's release.

Whereas the 6 Year release honed in on a spicier flavor profile, Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 7 Year swings back to more classic MGP rye fruit notes. Starting with the nose, traditional sweet notes combine with more focused fruit notes. This carries through to the palate which delivers an easy to appreciate midpoint full of sweeter notes. The finish however takes a drastically different turn, instead focusing on more traditional rye spice and dry chewy oak, which adds a very noticeable dry component to cap things off. Taken together with the increased price point, this is still an easy series to recommend as it continues to deliver an above average sip. As we approach the halfway point with next year’s release, I’ll be curious to see how the additional aging continues to influence this lot of barrels.