Rabbit Hole Distilling was founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian, a former clinical psychologist turned whiskey maker. If you’re going to start a whiskey brand in Kentucky, you had best make sure your product stands out from the rest. Fortunately, Zamanian was able to have his vision executed by contract distilling with another newcomer on the block: New Riff Distilling. Rabbit Hole Distilling has so far released three bourbons and one rye for its core whiskey portfolio. There have also been a few limited edition whiskey bottlings as well as a gin and a vodka.
Significantly, Rabbit Hole opened its own state-of-the-art distillery in 2018 in the NuLu neighborhood of Louisville, KY. Certainly, you should expect to see whiskeys from that distillery in due time. Furthermore, in 2019 drinks giant Pernod Ricard purchased a majority share of Rabbit Hole Distilling, so you can bet that’s going to do wonders to both production and distribution in the years to come.
One thing that makes the Rabbit Hole bottlings stand out from other American whiskeys are its mash bill recipes. Each of the core whiskeys has its own unique grain make-up which differs from the others in its portfolio.
For our bourbon breakdown, we’ve gone down the Rabbit Hole (had to be done) on each of the brand’s core bourbon expressions below. We also have a brief tasting note along with our Distiller’s Community Ratings to help you decide on your next bourbon purchase.
Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon
This bourbon is made from four grains: corn, malted wheat, honey malted wheat and malted barley.
What to Know:
The new American oak barrels used for maturation are sourced from Kelvin Cooperage. Before they are charred, they are first toasted for up to 20 minutes per barrel. It’s bottled at 95 proof.
What Our Experts Think It Tastes Like:
Rich and honeyed aromas of cornbread, mint and nut cake; lush and satisfying.
Avg US Price: $60
ABV: 47.5%
Community Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars (177 Ratings)
Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon /Photo Credit: Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon
Heigold is the brand’s high-rye bourbon made with 25% rye.
What to Know:
After distillation, the bourbon distillate is brought down to 110 proof before it enters the barrel — far lower than the 125 proof max. No more than 15 barrels are used for each batch.
Avg US Price: $64
ABV: 47.5%
Community Rating: 3.76 out of 5 stars (168 Ratings)
Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon /Photo Credit: Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole Dareringer Bourbon
Dareringer is the brand’s wheated bourbon made with 18% wheat.
What to Know:
After fully maturing in the toasted and charred new American oak barrels, the bourbon is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels for 6 months.
What Our Experts Think It Tastes Like:
Moderately sweet and appealingly spicy — it’s dangerously quaffable.
Avg US Price: $80
ABV: 46.5%
Community Rating: 4.04 out of 5 stars (279 Ratings)
Rabbit Hole Dareringer Bourbon /Photo Credit: Rabbit Hole
More Rabbit Hole Bourbon Bottles to Know
Rabbit Hole Mizunara Founder’s Collection
Released in May 2021, this Kentucky straight bourbon is aged for 14 years in new, charred American oak barrels. Then it is finished in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels for an additional year. It is bottled at a cask strength of 57.1% ABV.
Rabbit Hole Mizunara Founder’s Collection /Photo Credit: Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole Raceking Founder’s Collection
Raceking, the third release in the brand’s Founder’s Collection, just launched in September 2021. The bourbon has a unique mash bill of 70% corn, 13% rye, 10% malted rye, 4% chocolate malted wheat and 3% chocolate malted barley. Through proprietary malting processes, a chocolate wheat from Germany and a chocolate barley from the UK were used to create the essence of chocolate.
Rabbit Hole Raceking Founder’s Collection
Ready to do your own Rabbit Hole Bourbon comparisons?
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