There’s a lot of new whiskey coming out this fall, with annual unicorn releases like Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection leading the way. A distillery that doesn’t get quite as much recognition, but is still producing some excellent bourbon and rye, is Rabbit Hole in Louisville. The latest release is a new eight-year-old rye whiskey priced at $300, and while there are much better deals out there, this whiskey does deliver in terms of flavor.
Rabbit Hole was founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian, a psychologist turned whiskey maker who opened his distillery in 2018 in Louisville’s Nulu neighborhood. A year later, Pernod Ricard acquired the brand, but Zamanian remains at the helm and was voted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2022. The distillery is currently making its own whiskey, but the core lineup is mostly sourced from or contract distilled at other distilleries.
The range consists of bourbon and rye that was rebranded with new names a few years ago: Cavehill Four Grain Triple Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Boxergrail Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, Dareringer Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in PX Sherry Casks, and Heigold High Rye Double Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Then there’s the Founder’s Collection, a series of high-priced special releases that are bottled at cask strength in very limited numbers. The last release was a 15-year-old bourbon finished in mizunara barrels (the second time that particula.