The Whiskey Wash, though, had yet to take a deep dive into the remaining three flagship releases from the relatively young Louisville distillery. So we’re back for another bite of the Rabbit Hole apple, and another conversation with founder and whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian.
“No two expressions are the same,” Zamanian told me when I asked about the flagship releases. Collectively, he said, the whiskeys should “give you a tasting experience that covers a broad range of notes and flavors.”
Mission accomplished.
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READ THE STORYThe Dareringer sherry-cask finish bourbon (burgundy label) features a mash bill with 18% wheat and 14% malted barley. Named for Zamanian’s wife Heather, who he says is sweet and elegant and dared him to go down the rabbit hole of bourbon, this whiskey is trying to thread a difficult needle. Bourbons are already relatively sweet – often providing hints of honey, vanilla, butterscotch and brown sugar – so sherry-cask finishing risks pushing it over the top into cloying.
The Boxergrail rye (green label), as I wrote in December, is a tip of the cap to Louisville native Muhammad Ali and more broadly to the city’s history of neighborhood boxing gyms. While not as intense as the Founder’s Collection Straight Rye, the flagship Boxergrail still packs the punch you expect from rye while adding a layer of grass and vegetation that is distinctively Rabbit Hole.
Zamanian, for his part, is far from humble about his aspirations for the entire line.
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Tasting Notes: Rabbit Hole Cavehill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Vital Stats: Mash bill of 70% corn, 10% wheat, 10% honey malted barley, 10% malted barley (Rabbit Hole calls it a “four-grain” bourbon); aged at least three years in new American oak; 47.5% alcohol by volume/95 proof; $59.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance: Amber.
Nose: Pears, honey, chewy ginger molasses cookies. There’s something that makes me think of citrus going on, too.
Palate: Gentle and not too complicated. Citrus notes here again, as on the nose. Velvety mouthfeel, which brings toffee and vanilla-bean ice cream to mind. The finish is relatively short; this is a whiskey that doesn’t linger.
Final Score: 4 / 5
Tasting Notes: Rabbit Hole Dareringer Straight Bourbon Finished in PX Sherry Casks
Vital Stats: Mash bill of 68% corn, 18% wheat, 14% malted barley; 46.5% alcohol by volume/93 proof; aged first in new American oak with a #4 char, then finished in Casknolia Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks; $79.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance: dark amber.
Nose: Sweet on sweet, with bourbon influenced by the sherry casks. The finishing is more pronounced than you would expect, but it works. This is whiskey that smells delicious. Brings to mind tawny port.
Palate: Pedro Ximénez (or PX) is a white Spanish grape varietal most commonly used in an intensely sweet dessert wine. The PX influence in this case results in a relatively easy-going bourbon. Ultimately, the sherry-cask sweetness covers too much of the traditional bourbon flavor for me. The cask finishing is stronger than you’d expect (as it was with the nose), but the effect isn’t the same in the mouth. The wheat content and cask finishing combine to bring the sherry to the forefront.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s not bad. I’d characterize it as pleasant and gentle, which is what some people are looking for in a bourbon. For someone who loves traditional bourbon, though, this is a little too fancy-pants.
Score: 3 / 5
Tasting Notes: Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Kentucky Straight Rye
Vital Stats: Mash bill of 95% rye, 5% malted barley; aged at least three years in new American oak with a #3 char; 47.5% alcohol by volume/95 proof; $49.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance: Amber.
Nose: The first thing I smell is a layer of rye grass, herbal and vegetal. Beneath it are hints of dark fruit; perhaps plums or dark cherries. Finally, there’s the slight spiciness of nutmeg.
Palate: Vegetal notes are evident here, too. The first thing I taste is cut grass, though it’s followed quickly by pears, black pepper, cloves and molasses.
Score: 3.5 / 5
Final Thoughts: Zamanian makes no bones about the fact that he’s trying to do something distinctive with Rabbit Hole. He doesn’t want these whiskies to taste like anything else on your shelf, and I would have to say he’s succeeding. Whether that fact appeals to you or worries you is a personal preference. In any case, the bottles are beautiful – with debossed (indented) rabbits in the glass – and the juice inside them tends toward the idiosyncratic.
For a young distillery, Rabbit Hole is pushing boundaries while keeping these flagship expressions affordable. For that I give the company two thumbs up, even as I look forward to seeing what Zamanian will dream up for the future.
