Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Before tackling this wheated bourbon, a word about Mary Dowling Whiskey Company generally is in order, especially since their internet presence is currently limited to a Facebook page and write-ups like this one. The name Kaveh Zamanian should be a familiar one to Kentucky bourbon industry watchers, as he is the founder of Rabbit Hole Distillery. French drinks giant Pernod Ricard acquired majority ownership in Rabbit Hole in 2019, and in 2023 Zamanian and his Rabbit Hole partners in France launched Mary Dowling.

The company is named for one of the rarest of trailblazers: a woman in the pre-Prohibition whiskey industry. An Irish Catholic, Dowling had no truck with the Temperance forces of her day. Instead, after her husband’s death she ran her own bourbon distillery, which has led some to call her the “Mother of Bourbon.” Rather than buckle under to Prohibitionists, she moved his liquor business to Juarez, Mexico.

The wheated mash bill (65% corn, 25% wheat, 10% malted barley) features local, Kentucky-sourced wheat and maturation in toasted, then #3 charred barrels. That mash is distinct from the Rabbit Hole Dareringer Bourbon, so contrary to some of the croaking I’ve already heard, this is more than just a case of Zamanian and Pernod Ricard taking something they’ve already made together and putting it in different barrel stock. It almost qualifies as a high wheat, wheated bourbon. The whiskey is then bottled at 91 proof.

The Bourbon
The pour has a pale amber look in the glass, pale enough that it could almost be described as copper instead of amber. The nose leads with something reminiscent of a dish I make because of something from Mark Twain: a creamy, sweet kind of cornbread I make served with fresh strawberries. Next to that is a saucer of dill, mint and cloves. The flavor retains that creamy, strawberry current, with the corn aspect turning candy corn and the spices running woody. I found it surprisingly, but not unduly dry. The finish ran dry and lightly woody, and faded away swiftly.

The Price
The retail price for this item is about $55.