Sips & Sites & Bites

There’s a new bottle from Green River Distilling Co. that’s aiming to shake up the honey whiskey shelf … and it’s doing it without the syrupy shortcuts.

The Kentucky distillery just announced the launch of Green River Honey Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a new expression that takes a much more bourbon-forward approach to the honey whiskey category. Instead of loading up on artificial sweeteners and flavor additives, Green River starts with its four-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon and finishes it in-barrel with 100% real honey.

And not just any honey.

The honey comes from a custom blend sourced through Above the Dirt Garden and Honey Shop, a beekeeper-owned Kentucky business working with family-owned apiaries across the Midwest and South. The honey is raw, pure, unfiltered, and added directly into the barrel so it can naturally mingle with the bourbon over time.

The result sounds like something bourbon fans may actually appreciate … a honey whiskey that still drinks like bourbon.

Bottled at 92 proof, Green River Honey keeps plenty of backbone while layering in notes of floral honey, caramel, orange peel, vanilla, toasted oak, and a touch of cinnamon spice on the finish. In other words, this isn’t dessert in a bottle. It’s still very much whiskey.

Dan Callaway, Master Blender for Lofted Spirits, said the brand wanted to move away from what he called the “shortcuts” that have defined much of the honey whiskey category in recent years.

And honestly, that higher proof alone is going to make bourbon drinkers take notice.

The bottle also seems designed with cocktails in mind. Caryn Wells, Green River’s National Brand Ambassador, pointed out that the whiskey’s proof and natural honey finish give drinks structure without becoming overly sweet. She specifically called out a Gold Rush cocktail as a standout use … which makes perfect sense.

For bartenders and home cocktail fans alike, having the sweetness already integrated into the whiskey could make for some very easy summer sipping.

Green River Honey will roll out nationwide this week, in both 750mL and 200mL bottles. The suggested retail price lands at a very approachable $24.99, which feels refreshingly reasonable these days.

For fans of bourbon, honey whiskey, or simply trying something a little different this summer, this one sounds worth a pour.