Review #257: Rabbit Hole Distillery Series: Starlino
Review #244: Rabbit Hole Distillery Series: Starlino
MASH BILL: 95% rye, 5% malted barley 
AGE: NAS (therefore, straight means ≥ 4 yr)
PROOF: 106.7
COST: $50 for 375mL bottle (at distillery)
Rabbit Hole started their Distillery Series releases in 2022 with this bottle: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey finished in Hotel Starlino Vermouth casks. I was fortunate enough to still get my hands on a bottle when I visited the Rabbit Hole distillery last year. While they had two more recent distillery series releases available, this particular release intrigued me because of its uniqueness yet familiarity: it was the first whiskey I’ve seen finished in vermouth casks, but I’ve also never had a bad wine finished rye whiskey. After trying a pour of it at the Rabbit Hole bar, I decided it was worth getting a bottle of to dive a bit deeper on my own time. So, let’s dive!
Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.
APPEARANCE: Dark red cedar (1.7) a few quick, thin legs, but most take a while to coalesce from the beaded ring it leaves into syrupy teardrops.
PALATE: I want to will a thicker mouthfeel into existence but overall, it is thinner on the palate than I was expecting. A distinct proof heat on the palate that carries over to the finish accompanied by the cooling feeling of spearmint. I get a touch of maraschino cherries right when it hits my tongue, but that is quickly subdued by a warm earthy blend of caramelized oak, toasted vanilla beans, white pepper, and a dash of allspice and nutmeg. Peppermint and caramel blend together to make a sweet and cooling feeling as it starts to comes to a close. Warm red wine and tannic wine staves grow in intensity going into the finish.
FINISH: A dry, long finish. A tannic finish full of toasted oak, saturated wine staves, and toasted nuts. The cherry note from throughout the sip turns more schnapps like. A dash of cocoa powder and fresh grated nutmeg blended into caramel sauce, but the sweetness never overcomes the tannic dryness that lingers in the finish.
RATING: 7.0/10
OVERALL: While I haven’t had Hotel Starlino Vermouth specifically I’ve tasted different dry and sweet vermouths, and I can say that the vermouth profile stands out across the board with this bottle. The sweet red fruit, the wine notes, the dryness at various points, the proofy bite, it’s all there. Vermouth is basically a fortified wine infused with a variety of botanicals, and the botanicals allow it to play well with a lot of different flavors. As such, are some great synergies between the rye whiskey and the vermouth finish: the spice notes from the rye whiskey and barrel char are boosted by botanical herbs and spices such as cinnamon, clove, and chamomile, and the orange notes that come from the maturation of the rye whiskey are complimented by the citrus botanicals used in the vermouth. That said, I do feel like the vermouth finish is a bit overpowering to the rye whiskey. The 95/5 rye whiskey does a fair amount of work to remain present with its noticeable spice, but I feel like the vermouth is slightly more “whole” and forward. While I enjoy this pour, I wish the vermouth was a bit more subdued and the rye whiskey could stand out a little more prominently. For an experimental release, I think this was a fun pour. A little proof forward neat but pour it over a chunk of ice or with a dash of water and this is practically a Manhattan RTD cocktail.
1 | Disgusting | see my 1/10 ratings
2 | Poor | see my 2/10 ratings
3 | Bad | see my 3/10 ratings
4 | Sub-par | see my 4/10 ratings
5 | Good | see my 5/10 ratings
6 | Very Good | see my 6/10 ratings
7 | Great | see my 7/10 ratings
8 | Excellent | see my 8/10 ratings
9 | Incredible | see my 9/10 ratings
10 | Perfect | see my 10/10 ratings
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