Rabbit Hole Founder Shares Next Chapter in the Story of ‘Mother of Bourbon’ With Wheated Bourbon

On Tuesday, Mary Dowling Whiskey Company , helmed by Bourbon Hall of Famer and Rabbit Hole Distillery founder Kaveh Zamanian, unveiled a third bourbon within its core portfolio. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat spent over four years aging in No. 3 wood-fired toasted and charred new American oak barrels and is the next whiskey to honor Dowling, the nearly forgotten "Mother of Bourbon." The bourbon clocks in at 91 proof and hosts a suggested retail price of $54.99. We spoke with Zamanian, and he shared with us what inspired him to create a whiskey brand honoring a woman who was well ahead of her time in the bourbon world.

A Trailblazer Almost Lost to History — Until Now

In order to understand the significance of this whiskey, one must first understand the extent of Dowling's contributions to the whiskey world and her business acumen. Dowling was a trailblazer who ran Waterfill & Frazier after she was brought into the business by her husband, John Dowling. When John passed, Mary led the distillery through multiple trials and tribulations including a fire in 1904 and Prohibition. In 1924, Mary Dowling was caught by federal agents in a sting operation, and she spent many years in court. Fortunately for the Mother of Bourbon, the convictions against Dowling for bootlegging were dismissed after the stenographer died and nobody could read his notes. Ever the intelligent businesswoman, she transferred her operations to Juarez, Mexico and hired Joseph Beam to make whiskey. Yet, Dowling's story was nearly lost to history until Zamanian discovered her story. Until recently, Dowling remained a minor footnote in the history of Waterfill & Frazier.

"I think initially, it was more from the angle of John Dowling where I felt like it was pretty remarkable that he made his wife a full partner," Zamanian said during an interview with Bottle Raiders. "Not only was she a partner in name, but she was also a partner in the activities around the distillery. And what struck me was how amazing it was that she had nine children, was helping her husband at the distillery and getting involved in the business."

Dowling's story is indeed unusual, especially considering she lived during a time when women were not allowed to vote and own property. Zamanian shared that when Mary Dowling's husband passed in 1903, her narrative became "even more intriguing." Zamanian is a veteran in the whiskey world with an impressive background of founding brands like Rabbit Hole Bourbon and his recent position at Pernod Ricard. He claimed he was particularly impressed with Dowling's exceptional talent for crisis management.

"I just thought, 'Oh my God,' this just keeps all going on and on in terms of the hardship that a person can face and then realizing of course how she overcame and really persevered," Zamanian said. "Just to me, that was pretty amazing."

An Inside Look at Mary Dowling Winter Wheat

Zamanian launched Mary Dowling Whiskey Company in the summer of 2023 with Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oak Barrel, which we have reviewed here . The brand rolled out a tequila-finished bourbon as well to commemorate Dowling's relocation of the distillery to Juarez. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat is the third and final expression within the brand's core portfolio. Yet, it appears the wheated bourbon was a long time in the making.

"I honestly started laying this stuff down a long time ago, thinking that one day there would be a brand that could suit it, not knowing at the time if Mary Dowling would be that," the Bourbon Hall of Famer said.

As for the choice of winter wheat, Zamanian wanted to honor Dowling's spirit and appeal to female whiskey drinkers.

"I wanted to make a whiskey that was a little bit more approachable, and  softer in flavor and sensory notes, and that was really the beginning of thinking about it that way," he said. "I wanted to make a whiskey that's a little bit closer to what I kind of felt has a little bit more, for lack of a better way of describing it, feminine attributes."

Zamanian expressed that winter wheat "made the most sense" as a grain choice because of its fruitier, vanilla-laden aromas. We tasted Mary Dowling Winter Wheat, and the high-toned, elegant bourbon was a dreamy and lifted expression, with loads of strawberries and fresh cream on the nose. The pour was pure dessert, with maple bar doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar for a distinctively confectionary experience. The finish possessed just a prickle of heat, which added some texture to the easy-breezy bourbon, and it concluded with shortbread and waffle cone. If you want to read our full review, you can check it out here .

What's Next for Mary Dowling Whiskey Company

[callout-app-promo] As for what the future for this relatively new whiskey company looks like, Zamanian expressed to Bottle Raiders that he is looking into more limited releases and as for the production process? Agave appears to be on the brain.

"I'm leaning in the direction of playing around with various kind of agave-based spirits from a finishing standpoint," Zamanian shared with Bottle Raiders. "As you can imagine, there's different partnership potentials on the tequila side of it, the mezcal side of it, and even potentially some other agave-based finishes, like sotol or raicilla."

Though Zamanian has big ambitions for Mary Dowling Whiskey Company, he's all about keeping a measured pace with the fledgling business.

"I think one of the things that's happened in the industry, in my opinion, is that every year there's two or three different releases, it's getting a little overwhelming for consumers."

The Rabbit Hole Founder also revealed that a book on Mary Dowling is in the works and is set to come out next spring. Zamanian said that with the launch he hopes to continue to amplify her story and offer book readings and whiskey tastings. In the male-dominated whiskey world, Zamanian's passion for elevating a woman whose narrative could have easily been lost is refreshing. When asked about women whose work he admires within the industry today, Zamanian expressed much admiration for Heather Greene of Milam and Greene . He also had some kind words to say about his coworkers.

"I would say that probably within Rabbit Hole itself, we have several team members that are and have been quite instrumental to Rabbit Hole and all the derivatives of that. So Jennifer Vernia is an example, she's our head of quality control. ... Honestly, we couldn't do what we're doing without her. Jennifer has a PhD in chemistry, and you know, I joke around that in a lot of ways, I'm more art and she's more science."

Zamanian went on to share he had incredible respect for Ali Ochoa . Ochoa appears to be on the list of ones to watch within the whiskey world, as she continues to work with the likes of TX Whiskey, Jefferson's Bourbon and Quest's End, the whiskey brand helmed by Matthew Lillard.

"Ali is now on my team, working just with me and a couple of other folks that are a part of the chief whiskey officer team, and we're having a lot of fun."

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