With over 100 different brands of Bourbon and over 4.7 million barrels of the stuff ageing at any given time (which by the way surpasses Kentucky’s population of 4.3 million people) what in the world would make a guy from Chicago (Kaveh Zamanian) move to Kentucky and open a distillery and produce yet another brand of Bourbon? It’s the age old story of true love; the love of a girl that led to a love of Bourbon that led to a love of Kentucky. And so in 2012 the fruit of that love appeared in the launching of the Rabbit Hole distillery and brand in Louisville.
Well there’s one thing that makes this bourbon stand out from the others and that’s their mash bill; 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley, 10% honey malted barley. Then they store their Bourbon in wood burned, flame charred barrels from Louisville’s own Kelvin Cooperage, a 50 year old family business. By the by, Zamanian has expanded his offerings to include: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Sherry casks and London Dry Gin Kentucky Rye barrel finish as well as his Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Pretty much sounds like this guy from Chicago has done everything right but we won’t know that until we get to tasting this spirit so let’s get to it. This Bourbon comes in sleek squared up bottles with nipped in waists featuring an etched rabbit. As it is about 2 years old it’s a fairly young spirit and that is reflected in its very pale amber color. The nose is very light with a touch of grain, a bit of cinnamon and cherries and oak. The palate presents with an initial bit of spiciness followed by the cherries, vanilla, oak and sweet honey. The finish is slightly spicy with undertones of cherries and oak and lasts a medium amount of time.
For a young Bourbon this is a tasty spirit with just enough of a kick to make it interesting. The flavors are all very subtle, quite laid back and yet well blended so one does not step over the other. Being over $50.00 per bottle might be a sticking point for such a young Bourbon, however the bottle is NAS meaning it does not contain an age statement, so literally the proof is in the tasting and this spirit is light and tasty. Rumor has it that they are planning to release a 4 year old version sometime in 2018 and my mouth is already salivating in anticipation.
Rabbit Hole Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is 95 poof or 47.5% ABV and retails for around $54.99
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By George Brozowski