*Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Raceking Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon Bottle, picture courtesy of Rabbit Hole*

Regardless of what you think or don’t about Rabbit Hole, you have to give them credit for thinking outside the box and trying new recipes. No need to stick with the good old Kentucky bourbon recipe used - with a percent change here or there - by most of the heritage brands in Bardstown and Louisville.

Let’s start with the chocolate malting process. A number of brands have come out with chocolate malted bourbons, ryes, and American whiskies in the last year or two and…well, let’s just say the success rate isn’t great, for my palate at least. Chocolate malting means a grain has been toasted beyond the usual toast level to caramelize more sugars and bring out more roasted flavors. Whether it’s barley, wheat, corn, or rye, the process is effectively the same.

Unfortunately, what happens sometimes is the chocolate-malting process goes too far, leading to a burnt or bitter taste. Sometimes, it doesn’t go far enough, meaning an odd taste that’s both familiar and wrong. Whatever length of time or process Rabbit Hole requested for the wheat from Germany and the barley from the UK, they got it right. The balance is also such that at only 7% combined, the chocolate malted grain isn’t going to overpower the bourbon base - one I’ve grown fond of, in full transparency. (Note: I did try this blind, but I know what I like).

Something else to note here: as of this writing, I know my site and podcast aren’t large enough to attract serious attention from the big boys of bourbon, one of which Rabbit Hole has quickly become. So, to get a sample, I relied on the friendships and relationships I’ve had the pleasure of building over the last few years. I’ll leave the friend (and their site) off of this so they don’t get inundated with requests, but hopefully if they read this they’ll know how much I appreciate their generosity.

I’m about to cross 1100 total tastings of whiskey, rum, brandy, and gin (most of them whiskey, for now), and I wouldn’t have tasted more than 10-15% of those without samples from friends and acquaintances. You want to try things? Make friends. Join your local whiskey group. Join the plethora of online ones that have popped up during the pandemic, and ask questions.

Reminder: the two rules of Whiskey in my Wedding Ring: drink what you like and drink it how you like it. You’ll never know unless you try.

PS: Rabbit Hole: whatever I have to do to get on the nice list, just let me know :).

Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Raceking Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Origin: Rabbit Hole Distillery

Mashbill: 70% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Rye, 4% Chocolate Malted Wheat (from Germany) and 3% Chocolate Malted Barley (from the UK)

Proof: 109.2 (54.6% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Kentucky

Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Raceking Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon Whiskey Price: $295

Official Website

Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Raceking Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Brand new pennies. Circlet droplets.

Nose: Smoky brown sugar caramels, about to be poured over fresh popcorn. Buckwheat honey, no hint of proof. Notes of roasted hazelnuts and a new grain I can’t quite identify at first.

Palate: Spicy oak and chili powder on corn chips. Woodsmoke builds, as does burnt almond skins. Hints of hazelnut and orchard fruit, like gianduja and jelly. Mouthfeel is silky, medium-bodied, with baking spice and cinnamon bark. Hazelnut and almond turn into peanuts roasting in shell with oak astringency.

Finish: Coating and oily, short side of medium. The roasting peanuts and skins keep going long after the rest of the flavors evaporate.

Overall: An intriguing mix of woodsmoke and baking spice, like a Persian meat dish mixing dried fruit into a normally savory experience. The mouthfeel is good-to-great, but could be a bit thicker, and I wish the finish were longer. Each of those alone would be worth another full point. As it stands, though, this is a solid, enjoyable, and intriguing pour. The palate opens a lot to caramel pretzels and more mixed nuts with air.

Final Rating: 6.9

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

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

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, 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)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)