When Rabbit Gap Distillery founder Kaveh Zamanian started his whiskey journey, he was one of many business’s final outsiders. A local of Iran and a profession psychologist with quite a few tutorial appointments, Zamanian and his spouse Heather moved to Louisville to be able to be nearer her household. Proximity to bourbon quickly turned to ardour, and shortly Zamanian had his sights set on constructing a brand new model.
The result’s one in every of Kentucky bourbon’s most up-to-date and now-famous success tales. Zamanian based Rabbit Gap in 2012, and after seven years of development and scaling, offered the bulk to Pernod Ricard in 2019. He stays with the model as we speak, driving each innovation and operations behind Rabbit Gap’s current and upcoming expressions.
On a latest journey to Kentucky, Drinkhacker not too long ago sat down with Zamanian to speak about his journey from outsider to Corridor of Famer, along with how he’s taking a look at the way forward for American whiskey.
Notice: This interview has been frivolously edited for readability.
Drinkhacker: How did it really feel to current an inductee on the Bourbon Corridor of Fame in comparison with being an inductee your self a yr earlier?
Kaveh Zamanian: It felt phenomenal. It’s been a sort of Cinderella trip for me. To return as an outsider, be a part of the Kentucky Bourbon household now… The Kentucky Distillers Affiliation is an especially particular group. And to have the ability to not solely be a part of the group, but additionally have the ability to contribute to bringing people that I feel are phenomenal to the fold, it’s a privilege, actually.
Drinkhacker: How do you assume bourbon and the encompassing neighborhood in Kentucky has developed over the previous couple of years?
Kaveh Zamanian: There have been contributions from what I think about to be the craft facet, of us which can be coming from exterior of these conventional heritage households. It’s been a extremely vital method of pushing the envelope for American whiskey and bourbon particularly. And I feel it’s elevated the sport throughout the board.
Drinkhacker: The place do you assume bourbon is headed within the subsequent 5 years, via the lens of a producer?
Kaveh Zamanian: The explanation I received into bourbon within the first place was that I spotted that bourbon is 51% corn, 49% risk. I feel it’s essentially the most lovely and versatile whiskey on the earth, just because it’s the closest to the method of being a chef. So organically you should use completely different components to deliver some phenomenal notes to to the whiskey, which could be very completely different than a whole lot of others. I was a Scotch drinker, and I really like good Scotch, however for me the motion over there’s on the mixing facet. Right here, for me, the motion is on each the entrance and the again finish. And the entrance is basically thrilling to mess around with completely different components. And I feel the place bourbon is heading might be an increasing number of mash invoice distinction, extra differentiation throughout the board between producers. Not less than that’s what I hope occurs, along with these secondary finishes,
Drinkhacker: The place do you assume Rabbit Gap sits proper now within the ecosystem of manufacturers? The place would you prefer it to maneuver?
Kaveh Zamanian: Throughout the circle of Kentucky and the people who find themselves bourbon connoisseurs, we’re starting to get a extremely good swell of pleasure round what we’re doing. I feel persons are discovering our mas invoice strategy, our sort of craft distillery that’s designed to scale sort of concept and mannequin. And that we don’t compromise, these are all issues that I feel shoppers are discovering and find out about us. However I feel the problem for us trying forward is, how can we truly get a broader viewers? Rabbit Gap remains to be very small within the grand scheme of issues. My hope for Rabbit Gap is basically the nation after which finally even internationally, we’re capable of get folks to find our whiskeys.
Drinkhacker: What’s one realm of innovation that you’re most excited to push the envelope on somewhat bit extra?
Kaveh Zamanian: As a whiskey maker, my actual fundamental philosophy is simply shoot me if I solely have one concept. We’re doing an increasing number of of those sort of artistic mashbills in addition to on the ending entrance. I feel proper now we’ve received about 12 to 14 completely different finishes. We’re releasing one out of the distillery each quarter. That’s a realm that I’m discovering improbable. However the different space is definitely American Single Malt. So we’ve produced completely different recipes for that class or subcategory as nicely.
Drinkhacker: Is there one other producer who you assume is pushing the envelope in a method that conjures up you?
Kaveh Zamanian: The brief reply proper now’s no. Very candidly, if I used to be going to observe what all people else has performed, Rabbit Gap wouldn’t be Rabbit Gap. My inspiration actually has come extra within the route of culinary craft beer, even wine producers. I feel one of many challenges that I’m trying to hopefully crack, and that is the place I might look to different folks for steering, is how can we provide you with a nomenclature that helps shoppers differentiate our bourbons the identical method wine producers have with varieties? Proper now a whole lot of shoppers are nonetheless shopping for by the model fairly than by the liquid. And I need to have the ability to push the business to the route the place shoppers are discovering what’s within the bottle fairly than simply the model.
