Rabbit Hole Raceking Bourbon Review

Bourbon Lens’s Five Minute Fridays series is back, and this episode puts Rabbit Hole Raceking under the microscope — a Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey built on an unusual five-grain, double chocolate malt recipe. Host Jake Lewellen walks through what “chocolate malt” actually means, then breaks down the nose, palate, and finish to show how the whiskey balances roasty coffee character with fruit and sweetness in a way that surprised him.

Raceking is bottled at 95 proof with a six-year age statement and is never chill filtered, built from a recipe of 70% corn, 13% rye, 10% malted rye, 4% chocolate malted wheat, and 3% chocolate malted barley. Jake clarifies early on that “chocolate malt” refers to how the grain is roasted, not any added chocolate flavoring — a distinction he says is key to understanding the whiskey before tasting it.

On the nose, Jake finds subtle sweetness rather than heavy roast — peach, apricot, vanilla, and honey. The palate tells a different story, shifting into a stout-like profile with coffee, toffee, and roasty notes he compares to cold brew or a latte.

“It does kind of taste like cold brew coffee, honestly.”

The finish carries chocolate, tobacco, and lingering coffee notes, balanced against a vanilla-syrup-like sweetness that keeps the pour from tipping too far into bitterness.

Where It Fits

Jake calls Raceking one of the more successful Rabbit Hole expressions for his palate, citing its balance and approachability. He recommends it for coffee fans and points to its range beyond a neat pour.

“I do think that this bottle is versatile as well.”

He specifically calls out darker cocktails — an espresso martini, a Boulevardier, or a Black Manhattan — as strong homes for the bottle, while noting it holds up well neat, too. His overall verdict is positive, though he says it’s not an everyday pour given its coffee-forward, slightly bitter edge.

“If you’re a coffee fan, let us know what you think.”