Rabbit Hole Dareringer

 

Rabbit Hole Dareringer – 93 proof

Appearance: dark brown sherry color (not influenced by the fact it’s aged in sherry casks…it’s truly the best way to describe the color)

Nose: Maraschino cherry syrup, vanilla, plum, and other dark fruits… this thing smells like I’m about to dive into dessert!

Palate: I get hit with a cherry, raspberry compote right away. There’s a little vanillin profile. There’s a subtle raisin and wood that finish out in the pallet. There’s very little burn or mouth feel with this. It’s just a smooth, sweet profile.

Finish: The finish leaves more of the earthy notes and a subtle sweetness. It’s a nice balance in the finish, whereas the pallet was largely just sweet. There’s a very mild heat, not anything substantial. It’s a pleasant presence that reminds you this isn’t a dessert at the end. A nice note to finish on.

Rating: 5.7/10

Overall: I love this! I love the sweetness but with subtle oak flavors interwoven in the sweetness, reminding you it’s still an American bourbon. The combination of the fact it’s a wheater as well as finished in sherry casks just gives this a dessert profile from start to finish. That said, there’s nothing very complex about this. For me, complexity leads to higher ratings from me. There’s not much that’s complex about this. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it has a great flavor profile. This would be a fantastic bourbon to share with someone that doesn’t really like bourbons. The pleasantry of the sweetness and lack of burn really makes this a great gateway bourbon.

Behind the Bottle: When we visited Rabbit Hole Distillery on December 30, 2022, we did a tasting of their 4 staple whiskeys: Boxergrail, Cavehill, Heigold, and Dareringer. Out of the 4, the Dareringer just jumped out at me, so I had to get a bottle since I haven’t seen it at home in South Carolina before.

Dareringer – this is not the same as Darringer. I made the mistake of calling it Darringer, like the small, concealable handgun. I think this is what most people call it, and I’m convinced this is exactly what they intended. However, as we learned from the staff at Rabbit Hole, it’s actually a combination of two nicknames that the owner has for his wife: Darer and Ringer – Dareringer.

This bourbon is a wheated bourbon. With a mashbill of 25% wheat and 10% malted barley, plus, finished in Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry casks, this thing is full of sweetness. For a wine to be called PX sherry, PX grapes (PX is not a namesake, it’s actually the type of grape) must make up 85% of the grapes in the wine. PX grapes are usually picked overripe. This results in a heighted amount of sweetness in the grapes – more than what wineries usually like in their wines, which is why PX sherry is largely considered a dessert wine. This results in a large amount of fruit sweetness left in the barrels, which shines through in this bourbon.

At $79, I know this is one of the more expensive PX sherry cask finished bourbons out there. But I will say, it is quite enjoyable. I see this being a bottle nice to have on the shelf to share, with those that are more skittish when it comes to bourbons. Plus, it makes a nice change of pace amongst the array of traditional bourbons that it shares space with on those shelves.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect