Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon

ReviewsAmerican WhiskeyBourbonRabbit HoleWheated

Jun 14

Rabbit Hole is one of the new guys on Distillery Row in Louisville, but don’t let their (comparatively) young age fool you: they’re producing some great bourbons and ryes over there.

Rabbit Hole names each product after something close to the Louisville (or Kentucky) heart. Cavehill is named for the Cavehill Cemetery in Louisville, where generations of whiskey makers are buried, and is marketed as paying homage to the giants on whose shoulders Rabbit Hole stands.

As a four-grain bourbon, it is likely more akin to the earlier American whiskies than a purely ryed or wheated bourbon is, since farmers would distill what was available. Instead of rye, though, Cavehill adds 10% honey malted barley, giving the finished product a lovely dark sweetness and complexity beyond simply being a wheated bourbon.

Using no more than 15 barrels per batch, Rabbit Hole Cavehill is an excellent introduction to the brand. It is an easy sipper, has enough proof to let you know it’s there but not enough to deter early-journey drinkers, is sweet without being particularly reminiscent of, say, a Maker’s Mark or a Weller-line product. Using toasted and charred barrels (in that order) from Kelvin Cooperage, Cavehill is the flagship.

I first got to taste this on a virtual tasting with Adam Edwards, Digital Brand Ambassador for Rabbit Hole. Adam and I have had many a chance to chat since, and he’ll be on The Whiskey Ring Podcast at the end of June. You can tell when someone believes in what they’re saying or when they’re bullshitting you, and you can also tell when that sincerity is heartfelt or facetious. Adam, Kaveh, and everyone I’ve heard from at Rabbit Hole believes in what they’re doing, and it’s not hard to see why. There are definitely areas of growth, and I know they’re still working out some kinks, but I also know some of their whiskey is already ready to stand up with the big boys. all the better for it.

Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon: Specs

Classification: Bourbon

Origin: Rabbit Hole Distillery

Mashbill: 70% Corn, 10% Malted Barley, 10% Wheat, 10% Honey Malted Barley

Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)

Age: 3+ Years

Location: Kentucky

Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon Price: $55

Official Website

Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Copper. Thin-to-medium rim, droplet legs.

Nose: Slight ethanol goes away quickly into a sweet malt. Soft, honeyed malt without much spice. Cornbread develops with air, as does dried fruit.

Palate: Lots of honey malt and cornbread with a moderate heat. Chewing reveals some cereal notes, toasted malt, and a wheated profile. Mouthfeel is coating and oily with a tingle that sticks around the tongue.

Finish: Medium length, drying and corn-forward.

Overall: A solid corn-forward 4-grain wheated bourbon. Drinks a little above its proof (not a bad thing), and the flavors are delicious.

Final Rating: 6.2

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)