Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon is named after a German immigrant named Christian Heigold, a stonecutter. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky (USA) from Germany in the 1840s. This was a period of unrest with unprovoked attacks on Irish and German immigrants. Not long after the infamous Bloody Monday incident in 1855, he built his house. In order to prove his patriotism and loyalty to America, he carved inscriptions and busts of American notables into the facade of the house. Today, the facade of the house serves as a historical marker in Louisville.
Rabbit Hole uses German rye as part of its tribute in this high rye content bourbon and ages in charred American White Oak where it rests through sweltering summers and frigid winters for 3 years.
Bourbon Review: Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47.5% (95 Proof)
Age: 3 Years
Color: Light Gold
Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 25% Malted Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Distilled By: Rabbit Hole Distillery
Location: Louisville, Kentucky (USA)
The Nose: A heavy oak aroma rises from the glass with nuances of caramel, ginger and butterscotch. Additional swirls of the libation reveal touches rye and citrus sweetness.
The Taste: Perhaps it was a conversation earlier in the day about session musicians, and The Rolling Stones where Brown Sugar came into the conversation, but, that is the prevailing flavor profile on the first sip. It’s also quite noticeable how smooth the bourbon is. Subsequent sips reveal touches of rye, caramel and burnt oak. On the finish is the slightest hint of butterscotch.
The Pairing: We light up a limited edition cigar from HVC which was started in the USA by an immigrant from Cuba. Each year brand owner Reinier Lorenzo releases these in November and I am smoking the 2022 release of Black Friday. In the review of this cigar, I pointed out the sweetness with nuances of black pepper. Using the method of puff first, sip second the cigar helps bring out the caramel sweetness of the bourbon with additional butterscotch, especially on the finish. Doing it reverse, sip first and puff second the butterscotch shines through even more. The pairing as always does not affect our final score, but if it did it would be plus 1.
The Finish: Rabbit Hole was founded in 2012 by clinical psychologist Kaveh Zamanian, who emigrated to the US from Iran. In Chicago, he met his wife, Heather who led him to the “rabbit hole” of bourbon. This makes Rabbit Hole Heigold psychologist recommended. If you’re a fan of high rye content bourbon, this checks the boxes. If rye is new to you, this checks the boxes. It offers a nice balance of flavors, aroma and subtle heat. It’s a bit pricey, but that seems to be a theme lately in the industry. I can think of more budget friendly bottles I would grab over this one, but it’s definitely nice to have on hand and relatively easy to find.
Score: 94
Price: $59.99 (750ml)
