Graham cracker | Whoppers candy | Charred oak | Seared orange rind | Light caramel | Baking spices

Rye spice | Mexican chocolate | Orange | Toffee | Baking spices | Black peppercorn | Faint clove | Touch of dry oak

Dry oak | Cocoa powder | Peppercorn spice mix | Leather | Mexican chocolate | Rye spice | Lingering sharp spice & chocolate syrup

Rabbit Hole Raceking is a limited edition bourbon that builds upon the original Raceking release from 2020, which was bottled at 109.2 proof and was highly limited with only 1,335 bottles produced. The current release still utilizes the same unique five grain mashbill, and is now aged for 6 years. Rabbit Hole Distillery founder Kaveh Zamanian states, “With this release, we wanted to honor Kentucky’s legendary horse racing tradition. The name Raceking reflects that heritage and embodies the careful, deliberate process required to craft a bourbon worthy of a thoroughbred pedigree.”

While only 7% of the mashbill is made up of chocolate grains, they have a sizable impact on the sip that Rabbit Hole Raceking Bourbon produces. An intriguing aroma that includes Whoppers candy and seared orange rind scents starts things off, while a spice-filled midpoint pulls in additional Mexican chocolate and orange notes. The finish is an interesting mix of dry, chocolate, and spice notes that distinguish themselves from one another, before fading, leaving a lingering sharp spice and chocolate syrup note in their place.

Rabbit Hole Distillery didn’t start distilling onsite until 2018. Raceking Bourbon is one of their oldest in-house produced whiskeys, and it’s intriguing to see how it has developed over time. The five grain mashbill results in a unique flavor profile that is bold, considering its sub-100 proof. I found the rye component to be dominating at times, allowing spicier flavors to bubble up and overshadow other flavors. That said, the aforementioned chocolate malted wheat and chocolate malted barley add sweeter intrigue. This is a good 6 year old bourbon from Rabbit Hole, and I’d be curious to see how it evolves if the distillery decides to increase the age of future Raceking Bourbon releases.