Bourbon

Rabbit Hole Distilling Bourbon and Rye Whiskey Review

Rabbit Hole bourbon and rye whiskey.


In 2012, former psychoanlayst Kaveh Zamanian founded Rabbit Hole Distilling.  With the help of collaborators like Larry Ebersold, former Master Distiller of Seagram’s, Zamanian began production of his whiskies.  Being such an odd mash bill, it’s highly likely they contract distilled these whiskies at other distilleries.  Their own distillery broke ground last year, and should be operational by Fall 2017.  They’ve named Cameron Talley head distiller, so he’s in charge of overseeing production. 

So, how are the whiskies?

Let’s start with their bourbon.  It’s made up of four grains: 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley, and 10% honey malted barley.  The entry proof, which is the proof of the whiskey as it enters the barrel, is 110 proof.  It’s lower than the industry standard 125 proof.  This bourbon has matured for 2+ years and has been bottled at 95 proof.  On the nose, there’s a “green” quality, but that’s to be expected in such a young whiskey.  I pick up hints of toffee, nuts and herbs (especially basil), along with a touch of vanilla.  The palate is rich, thanks to the low entry proof, featuring notes of honeyed grain, yogurt parfait, and caramel alongside some spice and vanilla.  The medium finish features lingering a great spiced caramel apple note. 8/10

Rabbit Hole’s rye whiskey consists of 95% rye and 5% malted barley.  That should sound familiar, as it’s one of the popular rye mash bills from Indiana’s MGP distillery.  However, this whiskey comes from Kentucky.  Like the bourbon, the entry proof here is also 110 proof.  The 2+ year age statement and 95% bottling proof also carry over.  The nose is sharp and herbaceous, with hints of toasted rye bread, dill, and light brown sugar.  Taste-wise, rye spice quickly builds up, followed closely by caramel, baking spice and Honey Nut Cheerios.  The finish is slightly longer than the bourbon, and leaves behind a mint julep (mint, caramel) note.  7.5/10

Impressive.

I like what Rabbit Hole is doing here.  Not only do these whiskies show a lot of promise at such a young age, they’re quite rich and enjoyable as is.  That said, I’m curious to see how they would taste after a few more years of maturation.  Recommended.

Yellowstone 2016 Limited Edition Bourbon Review

This year’s limited edition of Yellowstone bourbon from Limestone Branch is a blend of 12-year and 7-year whiskies.  Both feature rye as the flavoring grain in their mashbill.  The blend was finished in new toasted wine barrels.  No, these aren’t used wine barrels.  They are brand new ones, so don’t expect any wine notes.  The 2016 release is bottled at 101 proof and retails for about $100.  It’s truly limited – only 7,000 bottles have been produced.  

“We used 28 new wine barrels with varying levels of toast – I was interested in how toasting versus charring would contribute to the bourbon,” says Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery. “The result was a delightful nose that is full of vanilla, sweet tea and summer fruit with a hint of smoke.”

Let’s see how this year’s bottling tastes.  The nose features candied fruits, brown sugar, some baking spice and a touch of vanilla.  Taste-wise, we’re talking in initial sweet caramel blast, followed by waves of spice, chocolate covered cherries, and some smoky vanilla.  The long finish carries a little heat and some toffee chews.

This is an entirely new blend compared to last year’s, and it’s an improvement upon what was an already solid entry in the Yellowstone lineup.  Nicely done.  8.5/10

Thanks to Luxco and Limestone Branch Distillery for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blanton’s Bourbon Review (Acquistapace’s Barrel 39)


Earlier this year I was thrilled to have been asked to help with some barrel selections for Aquistapace’s Covington Supermarket.  Adam Acquistapace and I tasted our way through some barrel samples for private bottlings of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare and Blanton’s.  In the case of Blanton’s, we ended up choosing two barrels.  The first barrel was delivered a couple of months ago and flew off the shelves before I had a chance to review it.

Adam Acquistapace pouring some samples.

Luckily, Adam has stocked his newly opened store in Mandeville with the second barrel.  Since the store opened this past week, I thought I’d go ahead and post some tasting notes for it.  Like all Blanton’s releases, this whisky was matured in Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse H.  This particular barrel (no. 39) rested on Rick No. 14.

Onto the bourbon…

The nose is full of big butterscotch notes, along with hints of maraschino cherries, wood spice, and vanilla bean.  Taste-wise, there’s an initial light hit of spice followed by big waves of light brown sugar and butterscotch.  Some red fruit develops in the midpalate alongside spiced corn and sweet oak.  The medium-long finish leaves behind a sweet caramel followed by slightly astringent oak and a touch of mint.

A pour of Buffalo Trace bourbon from a barrel sample. For each private barrel, Buffalo Trace Distillery sends a sample from three different barrels for you to choose.

This was my favorite of the two Blanton’s barrels we picked.  I love the way the fruit, butterscotch and spice compliment each other here.  Acquistapace’s is selling these for $51.99 each. Great price if you ask me. At the rate folks are buying this bourbon, I don’t expect this to be on shelves long after Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks to Adam for asking me to help him with these barrel selections.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.