Tasting notes

nose

Floral honey leads, with caramel, orange peel, toasted oak, vanilla, cinnamon and a little pepper

palate

Thick, syrupy body with honey in front, then oak, char, cinnamon, clove, anise, green apple, pear and butterscotch

finish

Short and honey-forward, the sweetest part of the taste, with light cinnamon spice

Mash bill

Green River has not published a grain split for this bottle. The straight bourbon underneath is the distillery's own, which it makes in two recipes: 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley, and a wheated one of 70% corn, 21% wheat and 9% malted barley. The honey goes into the barrel with the whiskey rather than being stirred in at bottling.

Why it's craft

The honey is poured into the barrel with a four-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, so the two age together instead of the sweetener being added at bottling. It comes from Above the Dirt Garden and Honey Shop, a Kentucky beekeeper. Green River, licensed in Owensboro in 1885 and owned by Bardstown Bourbon Co. since 2022, launched the bottle nationally in May 2026.