Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Amburana Bourbon Review

When it comes to the crowded and often objectively absurd world of limited edition American whiskey releases, it can start to feel at this point as if every possible bit of novelty has been explored. In an effort to make their limited release stand out on the shelf, major and minor distillers of American whiskey–let’s not kid ourselves, it’s mostly bourbon–have co-opted every conceivable gimmick at one point or another. This has become a necessity to keep the hype cycle going, to push MSRPs to stratospheric new heights and keep the FOMO flowing in consumers. The absurdity is something that has become impossible to look past without acknowledging–at this point, we just find ourselves hoping that releases marketed on their novelty will at least back it up by being genuinely exotic or unusual. And Rabbit Hole Amburana, the latest release in the Founder’s Collection series, certainly qualifies on that front.

Brazil’s prized Amburana wood, also commonly referred to simply as Brazilian oak, is an aging tool that I’ve experienced in a few places previously. I’ve tasted it in the beer world, for instance, where Amburana’s natural spice profile plays well in a number of dark beer styles. I haven’t tasted it much when it comes to American whiskey, however–and certainly not as the finishing wood for a 12-year-old, cask strength Kentucky bourbon. That’s what Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Amburana brings to the table. This is a 12-year-old sourced bourbon, bottled at a robust 125 proof (62.5% ABV). It carries a rather outrageous MSRP of $1,100, putting this firmly in elite whiskey collector territory.

I find that MSRP fascinating the more I think about it, as I hadn’t really associated Louisville’s Rabbit Hole with those kinds of ultra-luxe releases before. Previous expressions in the Founder’s Reserve series that I have tasted, for instance, carried more conventional “limited edition” price tags in the $200-300 range. It seems unusual to have a single series with such wide variation in sticker price, especially considering that Amburana actually isn’t the most expensive in the series to date–turns out that is the previous expression finished in Japanese Mizunara oak, which carried a $1,500 MSRP. Suffice to say, I don’t know how a company even begins to justify that kind of price point, but at the very least it probably makes for an almost nonexistent secondary market. If you really, really want to buy one of these, it seems likely you’d have an opportunity. And indeed, Rabbit Hole is selling them directly online now.

So with all that said, let’s get into tasting Rabbit Hole Amburana and see how this unconventional wood has affected the flavor profile of well-aged Kentucky bourbon.

On the nose, this is immediately very distinct and quite unique. The spice profile stands out immediately–it’s very gingery, in a fresh cut ginger way, along with candied stem ginger. I’m getting light brown sugar, along with vanilla that is quite floral, toasted coconut and lime zest, all of which combine to evoke a very tropical vibe. The woodiness has an exotic quality that is difficult to reconcile with any other memories of a bourbon like this, though it melds well with more familiar impressions of roasted nuts and hints of cherry. It’s an odd but memorable combination of elements.

Things turn a little bit more familiar on the palate, but not by much. Here I’m getting vanilla buttercream sweetness and ginger cookies, along with mint, allspice, mulled fruit wine with Christmas-adjacent spices, more of the toasted coconut, and significant leather. It’s very silky and viscous on the palate, with almost a syrupy texture, while the ethanol isn’t particularly wild on the palate for the 125 proof, though you certainly feel it in the chest. It certainly lands on the sweet side of the spectrum, with a lingering toffee stickiness that plays well with the spice. I think if I was tasting this completely blind, I might come to the conclusion that some kind of fortified wine cask had been used, like some form of PX sherry or madeira.

All in all, this Rabbit Hole Amburana expression seems like it set out to be exotic and novel, and it is definitely both of those things. The Brazilian wood has imparted some distinct and unusual character–I’m not certain it’s a profile that every bourbon geek would automatically love, but some undoubtedly would, particularly those with an appreciation for more tropical flavors. If that describes you, then this is a sample you may want to seek out at the local bar if possible.

Distillery: Rabbit Hole Distillery
City: Louisville, KY
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 62.5% (125 proof)
Availability: Limited, 750 ml bottles, $1,100 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.