Distilled By: Rabbit Hole Distillery
Location: Louisville, KY
Parent Company: Pernod Ricard (as of June 2019)
Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)
Age: 3+ years
Mashbill: 70% Corn, 25% Malted Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Heigold is the latest addition to the Rabbit Hole Distillery portfolio. It is their fourth whiskey and will fill the spot of a high rye bourbon offering in their lineup. According to Rabbit Hole, “Heigold was named after Christian Heigold, a German immigrant who was a stonemason by trade. Taken with his love of America and his hometown of Louisville, he adorned the facade of his 19th century mansion with American icons, honoring the U.S. for the opportunity given to immigrants like himself. Heigold mirrors the patriotism and passion for Louisville that is shared by Rabbit Hole’s founder/whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian, he himself an immigrant who loved the U.S. before he ever set foot on American soil.”
Heigold is aged in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak barrels and has a barrel entry proof of 110. It is aged just under four years and is non-chill filtered. This will be a full-time regular addition to the Rabbit Hole collection and will debut in late September at the distillery as well as off-site retail locations for a SRP of $69.99 per 750 mL bottle.
BSG REVIEW:
Color: Amber
Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, butterscotch
Palate: Lemon zest, white pepper, oak, light vanilla
Finish: Medium-short in length, mostly pepper
Heigold starts with an aroma that is all sweetness. The vanilla is front and center with brown sugar and a butterscotch note to round it out. When it hits the palate, though, the game changes completely. It approaches the front end with an initial touch of citrus in the form of lemon zest, followed by a transition to white pepper spiciness as it crosses the mid-palate. The sweetness from the nose is almost completely masked for me in the taste with just a touch of vanilla hanging on before it goes down. The finish is medium-short in length and stays on the spicy peppery note before fading away. I experienced almost no Kentucky hug with this finish, which made for an extremely easy sipping bourbon.
I enjoyed the swing from sweet to spicy as it switched from the nose to the palate. That keeps it interesting as the aroma is still experienced with every tip of the glass before taking the next sip. It definitely makes up for the lack of a long finish, which I don’t normally experience in most sub-100 proof offerings anyway. This is a welcome addition to the Rabbit Hole lineup and fills the gap nicely for the high rye bourbon aficionados.
BSG Score: 85/100
Disclaimer: Rabbit Hole provided this product in exchange for an honest review with no strings attached.
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