Celebrity Cruises is a leading premium cruise line, something that is helped in no small part by its dedication to selecting unique and quality beverages exclusively available to guests on their fleet of awe-inspiring ships. The exclusive wine and whiskey offerings have just been expanded through a partnership with Louisville-based Rabbit Hole Distillery. Soon to be available fleetwide on Celebrity Cruises ships is a single barrel offering from Rabbit Hole Distillery. Representing Celebrity’s ongoing commitment to offering unforgettable beverage experiences, the partnership will also showcase Rabbit Hole’s dedication to bringing bourbon and American whiskey to a global audience.
I was lucky enough to travel to Rabbit Hole Distillery and take part in the single barrel selection, tasting the whiskey that will only be available to Celebrity Cruises guests. So, let’s discuss the intricacies of this innovative partnership, and what you can expect from both Celebrity Cruises and Rabbit Hole Distillery.
Celebrity Cruises’ Premium Beverage Offerings
Celebrity Cruises takes its commitment to offering elevated experiences to its guests extremely seriously. In 2023, the cruise line was the recipient of the Wine Spectator Award Of Excellence. In fact, Celebrity has won this award for 11 consecutive years.
Throughout its lifetime, Celebrity Cruises has received a total of 188 Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence and 15 Best of Awards of Excellence – the most ever awarded in the cruise industry.
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Celebrity’s beverage team, including Keith Lane, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, and Jan Sorensen, Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations, pride themselves on offering unparalleled experiences to their guests. Each Celebrity Cruises ship is home to numerous bars that cater to the needs and wants of every passenger. This includes The Martini Bar, which offers dazzling curated cocktails underneath a dazzling chandelier. The impressive bartenders on Celebrity Cruises are trained to craft the best cocktails, as well as offering world-class customer service.
Partnering with distillers and winemakers across the world, Celebrity’s offerings include several that are exclusive to their ships. This means that there is an intrinsic rarity to the wine and whiskey that guests can enjoy, only for a limited time. Celebrity Cruises’ partnership with Rabbit Hole Distillery is an extension of this exclusive approach. Thanks to Rabbit Hole’s innovative approach to bourbon and whiskey-making, the partnership will allow Celebrity guests to expand their palates and see what bourbon and whiskey can become without restraints.
Rabbit Hole Distillery & Its Approach To Whiskey Making
Rabbit Hole Distillery was founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian, a psychologist who fell in love with bourbon and American whiskey upon meeting his wife, Heather, a Louisville native.
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When I sat down with Kaveh in June of this year to discuss Rabbit Hole’s sustainable practices, he told me that upon entering the bourbon industry he found a loss of “attention on what is possible with bourbon.” Kaveh puts this down to the closure of many of Kentucky’s ~2,000 distilleries during prohibition. This led to the rise of white spirits such as vodka and a subsequent stagnation of the bourbon category. “So,” says Kaveh, “when I first got interested in the category it was in an effort to create a genuinely unique whiskey expression.”
It all starts with the mash bill, which Kaveh refers to as “51% corn, 49%” possibility”. According to legislation, bourbon must be distilled from a mash bill containing at least 51% corn. The other 49% is usually made up of rye, wheat, and barley. In which quantities? Well, that is up to the distiller. Varying mash bills, Kaveh says, help the distillery to tell a story with its spirit and “help get consumers educated on what is possible in bourbon making.”
This creativity is the backbone of the Rabbit Hole brand. During our time at the distillery, Kaveh said: “In a sense, I feel like creativity is not only a way of being able to empower and nourish the soul but it is also a way of bringing people together. It’s the best of one of the best things that human beings have been able to accomplish. […] Rabbit Hole is positioned to keep going back to the drawing board and create new things.”
So, with that in mind, we are led to the tasting room at Rabbit Hole Distillery and presented with three wonderful single barrel whiskeys. Let the tasting begin.
The Single Barrel Selection
When we enter the tasting room and sit down at the table, in front of each us is a flight of whiskeys. The first is Cavehill, one of Rabbit Hole’s core offerings, which will serve as a comparison to the single barrel selections that we are about to sample.
In the center of the table is a wonderfully colorful charcuterie board. Zamanian is a firm believer in whiskey and food pairings. In fact, he is currently working on a book named Bourbon & Boards that will guide readers through whiskey and food pairings, and why he believes it is so important to sample together.
We are also given a sensory evaluation book in which we can record our tasting notes for each whiskey.
The three single barrel selections in front of us are all distilled from the same mash bill, but bottled at different strengths. After being talked through the production of each expression, we begin to taste.
The responsibility of choosing which Rabbit Hole whiskey would be exclusively available on Celebrity Cruises’ fleet was not lost on any of us. After all, the whiskey could be (and will be) served to both bourbon and whiskey connoisseurs and complete beginners. It could be served after a day of activity or a day of relaxation. It was fascinating to see how the consideration of guest experience, as well as the whiskey’s flavor profile, was carefully considered by those at the table. The tasting experience perfectly embodied the care and attention given to whiskey-making by Rabbit Hole, and to passenger experiences by the Celebrity Cruises team.
After nosing, sipping, and eating (and repeating this process multiple times over) we came to a consensus on which single barrel expression will be exclusively available on Celebrity Cruises’ fleet.
Without giving too much away, the single barrel whiskey that we chose is as smooth as can be, with an oily and buttery texture and notes of spice and blood orange. It paired wonderfully with the charcuterie board, which was full of soft cheeses, strawberries, grapes, dips, crackers, and chutneys.
If you would like to immerse yourself in this wonderfully sippable single barrel pick, book yourself a week of unforgettable experiences with Celebrity Cruises, and let us know what you think.
On Board The Ship
Celebrity Cruises guests will be able to enjoy the Rabbit Hole Single Barrel Selection fleetwide from 2025. The bourbon whiskey will be showcased via curated cocktails and whiskey-tasting flights across the 30+ food and beverage venues on each ship.
Passengers of Celebrity Ascent can already enjoy a curated selection of Rabbit Hole offerings, including three single barrel Heigolds. These single barrel expressions are part of Rabbit Hole’s Artist Series, with each adorned by a unique label commissioned by Kaveh Zamanian and created by local artists.
What Does The Partnership Mean To Rabbit Hole Distillery?
This is a first-of-its-kind partnership for Rabbit Hole Distillery and one that Kaveh Zamanian and the Rabbit Hole team believe will offer valuable experiences to Celebrity Cruises’ guests. I asked Kaveh what kind of environment he hopes passengers will experience when sipping the single barrel selection on a Celebrity ship.
“I think that environment is so important to your bourbon tasting experience. I think if you’re feeling good, if you’re with your friends, if you’re with your family, if the occasion is festive and fun, I think you’re going to have a much much better tasting experience.
“And that is the wonderful thing about Celebrity Cruises. I was able to go on a cruise with them last year, and it was absolutely top-notch. The folks working on the cruise line were so amazing from a hospitality standpoint. People had smiles on their faces, and that is really conducive to a great tasting experience.”
Not only will Rabbit Hole’s single barrel offering jive well with the elevated experiences offered by Celebrity Cruises but, Kaveh thinks, it will offer valuable insights into the demand for Rabbit Hole, and American whiskey, outside of the U.S..
“American whiskey, bourbon, in particular, is at an early stage from a discovery standpoint. Even outside of the U.S., scotch is the primary world whisky in terms of market share. I think in in many ways, American whiskey and bourbon have a way to go to be able to have an international presence.
I think that this partnership with Celebrity Cruises is a great platform for us, not only to showcase our brand but also to showcase what bourbon and American whiskey can be.”
What Does The Partnership Mean To Celebrity Cruises?
For Keith Lane, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations at Celebrity Cruises, the partnership with Rabbit Hole Distillery is a direct response to customer feedback from Celebrity guests.
He says: “Celebrity Cruises offers an unparallelled beverage experience. Not complacent with having the most awarded wine collection at sea as recognized by the prestigious Wine Spectator Awards, we are also chasing the biggest whiskey offering at sea.
“We wanted to find a unique, small batch whiskey product to create a distinctive beverage experience for guests. Through our relationship with Pernod Ricard, we were introduced to Rabbit Hole, an impressive brand with an interesting story and incredible whiskey offering.
“We’re excited to be Rabbit Hole’s only cruise partner, and together have delivered an enhanced guest experience through exclusive and highly curated Rabbit Hole offerings only available on board to Celebrity guests.
“Driven by guest feedback, we’re constantly innovating and trialing new experiences on our ships. Our guests love the Rabbit Hole offerings currently available on Ascent, so starting next year, Rabbit Hole’s exclusive whiskey barrels will be available to guests on Celebrity ships fleetwide.
“We are constantly finding new ways to elevate the premium vacation experience we offer guests, and there are endless possibilities for how our partnership with Rabbit Hole might continue to grow in the coming years.”
Rabbit Hole Bourbon & Whiskey
Since its founding, Rabbit Hole has built a solid foundation of core expressions as well as innovative limited edition releases for its ever-growing horde of loyal fans.
The distillery’s core range includes Cavehill (a four-grain, triple-malt bourbon), Heigold (a high rye, double-malt bourbon), Dareinger (a straight bourbon finished in PX sherry casks), and Boxergrail (a sour mash straight rye).
In addition to these core offerings, Rabbit Hole also offers the Founder’s Collection, a series of limited edition, cask strength releases, some of which have been finished in experimental casks. So far, Rabbit Hole has finished in Mizunara, Amburana, PX Sherry, and French Oak. The most recent addition to the Founder’s Collection is the Boxergrail 8 Year Old Rye.
Rabbit Hole Distillery is also known as ‘the architectural wonder of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’. Having visited, I have to agree. The distillery tour is fascinating, and the experience is best rounded off with a dram of whiskey or a cocktail in the Overlook Bar at the top of the distillery.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises offers premium cruises with diverse itineraries spanning over 300 destinations in more than 70 countries. Known for modern ships and sophisticated design, the fleet sails to iconic regions like the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, South America, and the Galápagos Islands.
Celebrity Cruises caters to travelers seeking a blend of relaxation, exploration, and high-end service, providing luxurious accommodations, top-tier dining and drinking, and curated shore excursions.
With an emphasis on sustainability, Celebrity incorporates innovative eco-friendly technologies and partners with conservation programs worldwide, enhancing travelers’ experiences with responsible tourism and a commitment to preserving the beauty of each destination.
Book your next adventure with Celebrity Cruises here.
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