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Whiskey Review: Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Founder’s Collection Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Rye

We review Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Founder’s Collection Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Rye, a premium expression from this young Kentucky distillery that's represents some of the best barrels to be showcased from here to date.

OVERALL RATING

8
$195.00
  • Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer.
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Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Founder’s Collection Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Rye

Tasting Notes

About:

Mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley; aged six years in new American oak with a #3 char; 114.6 proof/57.3% alcohol by volume; not chill filtered; $195 for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance:
Dark amber.
Nose:
It’s boozy. Give it a little time, though, and you discover a series of oak-forward smells like honey, vanilla and butterscotch. Beyond that, there are Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Mint Squares and hints of brown sugar peach cobbler. Add a splash of water, and the layers really start to unpack themselves.
Palate:
You know immediately this is a big and bold whiskey. You get aggressive rye spice and an oily mouthfeel. There’s something vegetative going on, too. Fresh-cut grass, maybe? Eventually, it starts to settle around Assam tea and tobacco leaf. The finish is long, slow and warm, reminiscent of brown sugar.
Finish:
Comments:
Coming from seven barrels said to be the first rye whiskey Zamanian ever made, the Founder’s Collection rye is limited to 1,315 bottles. (The one reviewed here is no. 632.) The standard Boxergrail rye is 95 proof and aged at least three years, while this version is 114.6 proof and spent six years in new oak. Time in barrel makes its oaky presence felt, though admittedly more on the nose than in the mouth. Ultimately, this is good whiskey with a distinctive personality. It makes me look forward to seeing what Rabbit Hole – and Zamanian – will develop in the future.rnrn“With Founder’s Collection, I have more freedom to experiment with a range of specialty malted grains and different finishes to deliver a wider range of expressions that enhance what we’re doing with our core line, yet are completely unique unto themselves,” Zamanian wrote to me. So expect further experimentation. He said the next Founder’s Collection release will come in April, an undisclosed whiskey aged in Mizunara oak.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Scott Bernard Nelson

Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. While currently working in higher education, he previously dedicated 22 years to journalism, covering impactful events such as 9/11 in Manhattan, crossing into Iraq with U.S. Marines, and contributing to The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of abuse in the Catholic Church, which inspired the film "Spotlight." Since 2019, Scott has shared his insights as a whiskey reviewer for The Whiskey Wash.  

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