Rabbit Hole Nevallier
STATS:
Rabbit Hole Distillery – Louisville, KY
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
115.8 Proof (57.9% ABV)
16 Years Old
Rabbit Hole Distillery Website
Rabbit Hole’s Founder’s Collection has been met with acclaim and rave reviews. However, they are highly allocated and difficult to find. The Nevallier isn’t any different. It’s spent 15 years of its life in newly charred American oak before being finished for a year in a new French oak barrel.
However, the real question here: Is it worth the hunt?
After trying the Mizunara, Boxergrail, and Raceking releases, we were super excited about trying this bottle. After all, the others are some of the most delicious and unique whiskeys we’ve tried. So, let’s dive in and see how this one fairs.
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Nose
(4.5)
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Palate
(4)
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Finish
(4.5)
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Heat vs Proof
(4)
Notes & Review
Notes & Review
Nose: Dried cherry, stonefruit, baking spice, roasted oak, cinnamon, clove.
Palate: Dried orange peel, baking spice, tobacco, torched vanilla, cinnamon spice, dried fig.
Finish: Light floral notes on the exhale. Followed by baked oak, torched vanilla, baking spice, and tobacco.
Review: The pour is delicious. It has beautifully balanced notes of sweet fruit that peak through the earthy and spiced flavors. It’s definitely more of a dry and savory pour in such a good way. The nice classic bourbon flavors pair nicely with the more sugary and dry notes from the French oak.
The pour is warm, but drinks under it’s nearly 116 proof-points.
This whiskey is a testament of how one should properly harness the properties of French oak. Kaveh commanded and conquered when it came to creating something that was as unique as it was delicious. I’d absolutely put it in the top 20 best whiskeys I’ve ever tried. And, considering Raceking and Mizunara, two of Rabbit Hole’s other Founder’s collection entries, are also in the category, I love the direction that Rabbit Hole is headed with these exclusive releases.
