Blackened Whiskey recently collaborated with Kaveh Zamanian, founder of craft whiskey distillery, Rabbit Hole, for the 2023 release of its “Masters of Whiskey Series.” Together, Blackened Master Distiller & Blender, Rob Dietrich, and Zamanian have created the Blackened x Rabbit Hole Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskey Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky. Finished in Calvados casks, the blend is bottled at cask strength at a proof of 106.59, and non-chill filtered.
Debuted in 2021 with the Blackened x Willett Straight Rye Finished in Madeira Casks, the “Masters of Whiskey Series” is built upon collaboration, uniting the whiskey industry knowledge of two “master craftsmen” to create special expressions.
For this release, Dietrich and Zamanian crafted the expression from a base of 13-year-old straight Tennessee bourbon whiskey featuring a mash bill of 64 percent corn, 36 percent rye, and Rabbit Hole Heigold High Rye Double Malt Kentucky straight bourbon, made from a mash bill of 70 percent corn, 25 percent malted rye, and 5 percent malted barley.
The whiskey is then finished in Calvados casks, imparting sweeter notes as Calvados is an apple brandy. Official tasting information hints at “notes of apple butter, rhubarb, honey-suckle, graham cracker, and macadamia nut on the nose and hints of ripe pear, cinnamon stick, smoky campfire, field clover, honey, and black walnut on the palate.”
“It was great working with Kaveh, as we came in with different backgrounds and similar mindsets, with a passion to create something unusual and unique to see where we could take it,” said Dietrich in a prepared statement. “We were both interested in starting with the 13-year-old Tennessee bourbon whiskey, and then worked back to see what was going to pair well with that as far as mash bill and blending different whiskeys from their distillery.
“We were really looking for something that balanced and layered the flavor profiles together, then adding a dash of flavor through the Calvados cask finishing. I’m ecstatic at what we came up with!”
“It was so exciting to be able to work with Blackened Whiskey and Rob Dietrich,” added Zamanian. “It seems like it was just an organic process, more art than science when we came together. It’s always great to be able to work with whiskey makers who are doing new things, such as Blackened, as it helps us learn more and improve our game.
“And ultimately the consumers benefit from it too, because you get new expressions – something that’s genuinely different and a blend of our different approaches and voices.”
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The expression is available both in-store and online for limited quantities for a suggested retail price of $149. To purchase online, find local retailers, or gather more information, visit Blackened Whiskey’s website www.BlackenedWhiskey.com.
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