Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon

Walking a balanced line of time, casks, and formulation to yield a rich and powerful Bourbon.

Rabbit Hole Distillery has come further in five years than many come in generations. It was founded in 2014 by Kaveh Zamanian — a transplant from Chicago — who fell in love with a woman and a Whiskey at the same time. Starting as most do with sources Spirit, he made his way toward a full distillery and entertainment venue in the NuLu district of Louisville and they have a spectacular new still on the way.

And things have been going so well that Pernod Ricard acquired a majority interest in June of this year (2019). And with that comes a wave of newly refined products and updated branding, naming each Spirit in their core lineup after a prominent Louisville citizen.

Released just this month (August 2019), one of their newest products is Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. And it balances on a fine point of optimal crafting.

The mash bill is 70% corn, 25% malted rye, and 5% malted barley (the malting balances sweetness and spice). Importantly, the Spirit goes into the barrels at 110 proof (55% ABV).

This is lower than a normal “production level” proof of 120-125. It’s gentler on the casks and strikes the right balance between time and flavor — more wood influence is imparted during the four years of aging in #3 char casks. And it’s bottled at perfect 47.5% ABV.

*Rabbit Hole has recently changed their labels, and as the original labels are being phased out, there is still a chance that you might receive a bottle different than what is pictured. But rest assured, the liquid remains the same, regardless of the label.

Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon guided tasting: Brad Japhe takes us on a tasting adventure through the Whiskeyverse of Advent Calendar 2021.

Smartass corner:
The phrase “going down a rabbit hole” means studying, researching, or creating in something to the point of a never-ending obsession. It is an oblique reference to Alice In Wonderland. Kaveh Zamanian considers his journey into distilling as his personal trip down the Rabbit Hole and that’s how the company got its name.