This $25 Honey Bourbon Is Better Than You’d Ever Expect

(Photo: Green River)

Most honey whiskeys aren’t really whiskey. They’re sweetened, low-proof liqueurs in a whiskey bottle, and they’ve trained a generation of drinkers to expect very little from the category. Green River Distilling Co. set out to serve up something different with its new Honey Bourbon expects more of itself.

Rather than adding flavoring to a low-proof whiskey base, Green River adds raw honey directly to the barrel, letting the 4-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon and honey integrate over time. The honey comes through a partnership with Kentucky-based Above the Dirt Garden and Honey Shop, sourced from family-owned apiaries across the Midwest and South. The finished whiskey is bottled at 92 proof — a proof that reads as bourbon more than a flavored whiskey despite this, technically, still being a flavored whiskey; bourbon cannot be mixed with honey or anything else outside of water.

“For too long, honey whiskey has been defined by shortcuts,” said Dan Callaway, master blender at Green River’s parent company, Lofted Spirits. “Green River Honey is changing that — putting our money into real, natural honey and Kentucky Straight Bourbon.”

What It Tastes Like

Going into this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m definitely dubious going into any flavored whiskey. The nose was a relief: honey up front, yes, but not the cloying wall of sweetness that makes so many bottles in this category hard to revisit. There’s cinnamon and pepper in there too, which signals that the bourbon underneath is still doing something.

The palate has a thick, syrupy viscosity that doesn’t feel artificial, and the balance stands out. Honey is the lead note, but oak, barrel char, cinnamon, pepper, clove, anise, green apple, pear and butterscotch all get a word in. The finish is short and leans into the honey hard — the most overtly sweet part of the sip — but it stays on the right side of overbearing, and the honey flavor reads as natural throughout.

For the complete tasting notes and to see what score I gave it, click here for our full review.

Worth Buying?

Yes, with the obvious caveat that a sweet tooth helps. This sits in a lane between flavored whiskey and straight bourbon that very few bottles occupy, and Green River navigates it well. Bring it to a tailgate, use it in a Gold Rush or Honey Old Fashioned cocktail where the honey cuts out the need for a separate sweetener, or pour it for the friend who claims they don’t like whiskey. At $24.99 it’s an easy recommendation.

For whiskey purists who write off the whole honey category: this one is worth a second look.

Green River Honey Finished Bourbon Whiskey is available now nationwide in 750-milliliter bottles for $24.99, as well as a 200-milliliter format.