Rabbit Gap Rye Whiskey – Drink of the Week

Okayaveh Zamanian just isn’t your typical founding father of a distillery, earlier than Rabbit Gap Distillery, he acquired his begin as a medical psychologist earlier than bourbon confirmed him a brand new path in life. The story goes that Kaveh met his spouse, Heather, and whereas he loved bourbon, scotch was his foremost go-to on the time. Heather helped him improve his love for bourbon and thus his life went down the “rabbit gap” and a distillery was ultimately born. Began in 2012, Rabbit Gap has splashed on to the scene within the Louisville and have turned out some spectacular bourbons and whiskeys. Immediately, we’re going to take a deep dive on their Rabbit Gap Rye Whiskey.

One factor you’ll discover about Rabbit Gap is they’re very eager on high quality. They state that each grain is inspected earlier than it goes into the silo to make sure it meets requirements. As soon as it passes, the grain is conveyed to the curler mills the place it’s floor to a really specific micron measurement for mashing. The grain is then weighed and conveyed to the cooker the place water and setback are already ready.

The grains are added at sure temperatures and cooked. The mash is then cooled and despatched to the Fermenters the place it’s inoculated with yeast and fermented for 3-5 days. After that, it’s pumped to the beer nicely and fed to the distillation column after which the doubler. At this level the distillate is lower with RO water to barrel entry proof and allotted right into a barrel at 110 proof to start growing older.

Rabbit Gap by no means chill filters of their merchandise and this improve the general taste. The barrels used are hand-selected, wood-fired, toasted and charred barrels. As soon as the whiskey is mature, it’s dumped, and the char is filtered earlier than it’s lower to bottling proof and bottled. When you see a bottle on the shelf, it’s best to seize it as a result of all of Rabbit Gap’s American whiskies are made in small batches with lower than 15 barrels per batch.

As you possibly can see from the proprietary cooking strategies and mash payments that have been created by Kaveh Zamanian, high quality and creativity are on the forefront of what they’re attempting to attain. Now, how did it style? Learn under for our panel’s tasting notes.

Rabbit Gap Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Overview Breakdown

• Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)
• Age: 3+ years
• Nostril: Butterscotch, thyme, pine, cinnamon
• Flavors: Brown sugar, rye bread, apple, cocoa
• Value: $49.99

The Rabbit Gap Rye incorporates a 95 p.c rye, 5 p.c malted barley mash invoice. Excessive rye whiskeys normally have a pleasant candy taste.  On the nostril, we acquired a pleasant burn from the excessive alcohol content material. It’s temporary and offers solution to some good butterscotch and cinnamon. When you wait a bit longer in your second and third sniffs you will note some good notes of thyme and pine needles to return ahead. On the palate we acquired a lot of rye bread, and never as a lot of a burn as we thought based mostly on the preliminary sniffs. Some good notes of brown sugar, cocoa and a few tasters picked a touch of apple and fruit on the end. You’ll be able to style the alcohol all through, however once more not overpowering and permits the flavors to nestle on palette.

General, for being a 2+ yr whiskey we have been stunned with the outcomes of the Rye. The worth tag for a younger whiskey could scare some off. Nevertheless, with high-quality consideration to element and a considerate distilling course of, the Rye Whiskey is tasty.

MIX IT UP WITH…Waldorf Cocktail

Elements:

• 2 oz Rabbit Gap Kentucky Straight Rye
• 3/4 oz candy vermouth
• 1/4 oz absinthe or substitute
• 2 dashes bitters

Methodology:

Pour the absinthe into a relaxing cocktail glass, swirl it round to coat the edges, then toss any extra. Pour the whiskey and vermouth right into a mixing glass full of ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Pressure into the rinsed glass and luxuriate in!