Rabbit Hole Distillery was founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian, a psychologist and bourbon enthusiast who built a striking distillery in Louisville's NuLu neighbourhood. Dareringer is the sherry cask finished expression — a bourbon with a high-malt mash bill (68% corn, 18% wheat, 14% malted barley) that is finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from Jerez. The PX finishing adds a layer of dried fruit sweetness that transforms the bourbon into something closer to a sherried Scotch than a typical Kentucky bourbon.
The PX influence is generous, adding raisin, fig and dark chocolate notes that complement the bourbon's corn sweetness effectively. The wheat in the mash bill provides a softer, rounder texture than rye-heavy bourbons, creating a canvas that accepts the sherry influence gracefully. At 46.5%, the whiskey has enough strength to carry both the bourbon character and the PX richness.
Rabbit Hole Dareringer is an ambitious finished bourbon that succeeds in creating something genuinely distinctive. The combination of a wheat bourbon base with PX sherry finishing is unusual and effective, producing a whiskey that will appeal to both bourbon drinkers seeking something new and Scotch drinkers curious about American interpretations of sherry cask maturation. The price reflects the premium positioning, but the quality and distinctiveness justify the investment.
