Review #887 - Green River Honey Finished Bourbon
Green River has released a new flavored whisky: a honey-finished bourbon, bottled at a strength of 46% ABV (92 proof). They age the bourbon for 4 years before adding locally-sourced honey directly into the barrels to continue aging with the bourbon; they don't give a specified amount of time for the honey-marrying process, instead opting to bottle it "when it's ready."
Green River Honey Finished Bourbon
USA - Flavored Whisky
Price: USD 23 (2026)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Details: Bottled 2026
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 100% and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Sweet and young - honey, grains (almost a wheat-like grain), light vanilla. There's a bit of acetone in the background; overall it's plain and a little bit muted.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness - some of that syrupy honey adds to it. Graham crackers, dry young bourbon spirit, vanilla, hay... lots of corn grain and a bit of crafty oak. The honey is quite sweet, but not overwhelming like some flavored whiskies.
Finish: The finish grows more spicy with some tannins from the oak; after that, sweetness returns in the aftertaste: maple syrup, honey, oatmeal grains, and cinnamon. It becomes cloyingly sweet later on.
Final Note: One of the best flavored whiskies that we've tried... but that isn't saying much. We think this honey-finished bourbon is a bit below average on our rating scale, with too much youth showing, especially on the palate. The honey influence seemed more muted on the nose, but it was quite strong on the palate; then the finish became almost sickeningly sweet in the end.
Even though we didn't end up liking this whisky too much, our value formula still produces a score that seems quite fair due to the very low price. We likely won't be buying another bottle, but it might not be a bad pick for mixing or sweeter cocktails.
Our Rating: 4.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.33
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
