Green River Distilling Co. announced the launch of Green River Honey Finished Bourbon Whiskey. The new expression offers a fundamentally different take on honey whiskey by finishing real Kentucky Straight Bourbon with 100% real local honey inside the barrel, rather than relying on additives and sweeteners.

While the honey whiskey category has largely moved toward lower proof, heavily sweetened liqueur blends, Green River Honey takes a more deliberate approach.

Green River Honey begins as four-year-old Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon, distilled and aged in Owensboro, Kentucky. A custom blend of locally sourced, seasonally selected honey is then added directly into the barrel, allowing the bourbon and honey to marry naturally through barrel interaction rather than post-production blending. Time does the rest.

The result is a honey-finished bourbon with genuine depth and structure found in cask finishing. Bottled at 92 proof (46 percent alc. by vol.), it retains the warmth, texture and backbone of Kentucky bourbon while introducing floral aromas surrounded by honey, caramel, orange peel, toasted oak, and vanilla, coating the palate with full-bodied flavor, and finishing with light cinnamon spice.

“For too long, honey whiskey has been defined by shortcuts,” Dan Callaway, Master Blender, Lofted Spirits, said in a news release. “Natural flavors’ aren’t always as natural as they claim to be.  Green River Honey is changing that – putting our money into real, natural honey and Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Its flavor and approachability opens the Green River brand up to higher energy occasions, plays well in a cocktail, and bridges a huge gap in the category between higher priced honey-cask finishes and cheaper immature flavors.”

The proprietary honey blend used in Green River Honey is procured in partnership with Above the Dirt Garden and Honey Shop, a Kentucky Proud, beekeeper-owned business that works year-round with a network of family-owned apiaries. This partnership ensures a blend of 100% raw, pure, unfiltered honey, sustainably sourced from family-owned apiaries across the Midwest and South.

Designed to be both premium in process and accessible in price, Green River Honey comes in Green River’s signature 750mL bottle with a suggested retail price of $24.99. Additionally available as a 200mL, Green River Honey will be available nationwide beginning May 15, 2026.

“Green River Honey goes to work behind the bar,” Caryn Wells, National Brand Ambassador, said. “One of the few commercially available higher proof honey finished bourbons available, the high proof and real honey finish give cocktails structure without overpowering them. It makes a perfect Gold Rush with just lemon and a shake, and it elevates any whiskey cocktail where balance matters.”

Fans of Green River can spread the buzz to a friend by submitting them for a special DeliverBEE. Nominations are now open to surprise someone with Green River Honey, delivered to their door, desk, or wherever they lease expect it. To nominate a candidate, visit greenriverwhiskey.com/honey-whiskey/.

Read more: Green River to Introduce Wheated Full Proof Bourbon

ABOUT GREEN RIVER

Green River Distilling Co. is the 10th oldest licensed distillery in Kentucky (DSP-KY-10), is known as “the Whiskey Without Regrets,” and enjoys a history dating back to 1885. Reintroduced in 2022, Green River Distilling Co. calls Owensboro, Kentucky home and serves as the westernmost outpost of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. AGreen River is part of Lofted Spirits, one of the largest American Whiskey distillers in the U.S. For more information visit https://greenriverwhiskey.com/.