This Award-Winning Distillery Is Producing Some Of The Best Batches Of Bourbon In The US

There's definitely something to be said about whiskey distilleries that have stood the test of time. Old Overholt is the oldest brand of rye whiskey in the U.S. that you can still buy, spanning over 200 years of history. But every so often, a new whiskey maker comes along that shakes the industry. One of these is Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, which has a unique approach to how it makes its award-winning bourbon and rye, and the proof is in some of the best small-batch whiskey in the country. 

Rabbit Hole Distillery has an ultra-modern, energy-efficient glass and steel distillery in downtown Louisville, where it earned the title of North America's Leading Bourbon Distillery Tour by the World Travel Awards for the fourth year in a row. The tour dives into the distilling process and ends with a whiskey tasting for $25 per adult. For the bar alone, it's a must-see part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for whiskey connoisseurs.

Kaveh Zamanian, an Iranian-American clinical psychologist turned whiskey maker, founded Rabbit Hole in 2012 and brought an outsider's approach to the business. It paid off in a big way. After only a decade, he was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. And all of the distillery's core spirits — Cavehill Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Boxergrail Kentucky Straight Rye, and Dareringer Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In PX Sherry Casks — have won awards in various competitions.

In numerous interviews, Kaveh Zamanian has said that bourbon is "51% corn and 49% possibility," (via InsideHook) and he takes that idea seriously. Rabbit Hole uses unique mashbills, barreling at a lower proof to build flavor, and using barrels that are both toasted and charred. Although "small batch" whiskey has no legal definition, Rabbit Hole can definitely apply the term to how it does things. The distillery harvests no more than 15 barrels per batch.

As for the results, both Dareringer and Cavehill won double gold at the prestigious 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, among others. Dareinger, with a mashbill of 65% corn, 25% wheat, and 10% malted barley, has been aged for five years before being finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. It has been praised for its well-integrated flavor profile with a sweet finish. Cavehill has an interesting mashbill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley, and 10% honey malted barley that has then aged for at least three years. Even though it's young, this grain-forward bourbon hits above its weight with a sweet malt flavor. 

Rabbit Hole also has 11 limited-edition cask-strength whiskeys in its Distillery Series. All of them are aged from four to six years and are double-barreled in casks that previously held other spirits, such as vermouth, tawny port, and cognac. Rabbit Hole may be younger than many Kentucky whiskey distilleries, but it's a real Louisville slugger that hits the mark on flavor and fun.