The entire, and accurate, name of the Rabbit Hole Bourbon PX Finish is the Rabbit Hole Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in PX Sherry Casks… but who has the time to write that over and over? So we’re just going to use the name above which conveys the same idea. It’s a bourbon that’s been finished in ex-PX Sherry casks.

Finished bourbons are not a new thing and so talking about that isn’t very interesting. What is interesting about this though is the mash bill; it’s completely different from the regular Rabbit Hole Bourbon they make – this one being a wheater. Which now begs 2 questions.

Q1: Why would they take a highly sought after style and drench it in PX? Sweet on sweet doesn’t sound like my cup of whiskey, but we’ll give it a fair shot in the bourbon review below.

Q2: If they took the time to R&D 2 bourbon mashes why not do that with the Rabbit Hole Rye too?

Rabbit Hole Bourbon PX Finish Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Rabbit Hole’s Words:

“We take Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a wheat mash bill, aged in alligator char. We transfer it to casks that have been used to perfect sweet, dark Pedro Ximénez sherry. The resulting whiskey is refined, balanced with a long cascading finish.”

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Rabbit Hole Distillery
Mash Bill: 68% Corn, 18% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-PX Sherry
Age: 3`+ Years
ABV: 46.5%

Price: $80

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruby caramel

NOSE
Big heavy sweetness, dried dark fruit, caramel, olde candy, brown sugar, oak and baking spice.

PALATE
Dark fruit, olde candy, orange zest, oak and some spice.

FINISH
Medium-short -> Darkly sweet and slightly oaky.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not balanced, medium body and syrupy feel.

Rabbit Hole Bourbon PX Finish Review: Overall and Score

The Aroma is mostly sweet with some artificial qualities; Palate is overly sweet and dominates in a way that, again, pushes it towards being one-noted; Finish would be one-noted if not for the pop of oak. This is not my cup of whiskey, it’s so sweet and cloying.

On the whole, I’m not a fan of finished bourbons or ryes. I get the reason for wanting to do it and try it, but it’s such a crazy balancing act. Too much and you get a sweet mess that obliterates what makes a good bourbon or rye a good bourbon or rye. Too little and the bourbon or rye will dominate and you’re left asking “what’s the point?”

The only times it seems to succeed is when you have some well-aged / highly oaked bourbon you want to tame down with a different cask to bring out more of the dark fruity characteristics. But, as it continues to be proved out over and over again, younger whiskeys like this Rabbit Hole Bourbon PX Finish just get overwhelmed.

SCORE: 76/100 (C)

*Thanks to Ryan for the Rabbit Hole Bourbon PX Finish sample

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