Rabbit Hole Distillery sits in a sleek, modern facility on East Jefferson Street in Louisville’s NuLu district, founded by Kaveh Zamanian in 2012. Zamanian, a former psychoanalyst turned whiskey entrepreneur, opened the distillery doors to the public in 2018 after years of perfecting his craft and building out the 24,000-square-foot production facility. The distillery produces four core bourbon and rye expressions, each named after literary references that reflect Zamanian’s intellectual approach to whiskey making. Zamanian’s journey from psychology to distilling started with a fascination for the craft and a desire to create something tangible after years of working in the abstract realm of the mind. He spent considerable time learning from industry veterans and developing his own philosophy around what he calls ‘heterodox whiskey making’ – challenging conventional wisdom while respecting tradition. The team includes Master Distiller Matt Patti, who brings experience from other Kentucky operations, and they’ve built their reputation on precise temperature control during fermentation and a focus on the interaction between grain, wood, and time. The visitor experience centers around their modern tasting room and production facility, where you can see their custom-designed stills and fermentation tanks through floor-to-ceiling windows. The space feels more like a contemporary art gallery than a traditional bourbon distillery, with clean lines and industrial design elements. Tours take you through their grain-to-glass process, and the tastings focus on understanding how different mash bills and aging techniques create distinct flavor profiles across their bourbon and rye lineup.