Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey is what happens when you take the traditional 95/5 mash bill from MGP and distill it and age it in Kentucky instead of in Indiana. It’s an interesting choice to copy their mash bill, but also a fairly smart one for a new distillery. It’s a time tested ratio that works and that cuts down on R&D for a young distillery. A smart move, but not a bold move.

I’m not saying they need to be bold, as you’ll see in the rye whiskey review below it’s a fine whiskey, but it’s kinda… uninspiring. Though, to be fair they’re not even close to the only ones, Redwood Empire uses a 95/5 for their Emerald Giant Rye.

They were bold with their Rabbit Hole Bourbon mash so I guess that’s why this feels like a bit of a copout. At the very least I think it would have been super interesting to just swap out the corn and rye ratios in the two products and make it a blatant study in grain. But hey, they got bought by Pernod Ricard so they’re doing something right.

Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Rabbit Hole’s Words:

“There is a boldness to our 95% Rye Whiskey. Kentucky distilled and aged, with a brown sugar nose and spice that jumps on the tongue. Great with a splash of water, but breathtaking in classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned.”

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

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Rabbit Hole Distillery
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 3+ Years
ABV: 47.5%

Price: $46

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruddy caramel

NOSE
Baking spice, oak, dried dark fruit, leather, pepper, vanilla taffy and some baking powder.

PALATE
Dilly rye spice, baking spice, oak, caramel, orange candy and some bits of leather and cocoa.

FINISH
Long -> Rye spice, Smarties, baking spice, oak and dark fruit.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, medium-full body and a warm velvety feel.

Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey Review: Overall and Score

The Aroma is a fantastically full rye experience that’s equally sweet and spicy; Palate is not quite as dynamic or expressive and while it does grow as it opens it never hits that mature depth I’m looking for; Finish is a long rye spice fueled experience that turns sweet and almost cloying as it fades. All-in-all it’s a decent, punchy, rye.

I like how the Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey carries a nice balance with a solid sweet, spicy and rustic profile. Some lighter oaky notes pop in and out and I enjoy what’s happening and want a bit more of it. But a deeper and fuller version of this could be killer.

SCORE: 86/100 (B)

*Thanks Ryan for the Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey Sample

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