Producer Spotlight: Pinhook

Pinhook isn’t your grandpa’s bourbon, unless your grandpa was a racehorse trainer with a taste for high-proof swagger. Each bottle is vintage-driven, personality-packed, and tied to a real thoroughbred, which means you’re sipping history with a side of horsepower. Whether it’s a spicy rye or a smooth bourbon, Pinhook pours with purpose. Saddle up, sip slow, and let the flavor win by a nose.

Pinhook Whiskey was born from the friendship and shared curiosity of three bourbon-loving friends—Sean Josephs, Charles Fulford, and Jay Peterson—who set out in 2011 to create a fresh, modern take on American whiskey. They began by purchasing 20 barrels from Lawrenceburg Distillers in Indiana and aging them in Kentucky, where they discovered a deep connection between bourbon and thoroughbred racing. That insight inspired the name “Pinhook,” a term from the horse world meaning to buy young and develop to maturity, mirroring their approach to whiskey.

Their collaborative vision led to the release of Pinhook’s first bourbon in 2014, and by 2017, they began distilling their own mash bills at the historic Castle & Key distillery, reviving a site that hadn’t produced whiskey in nearly 50 years.

Today, Pinhook is known for its expressive, vintage-driven releases, each tied to a real racehorse and crafted to highlight the distinct character of each year’s barrels.