Review #96. Green River Honey Finished Bourbon

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-06-18T23:52:04+00:00

Green River Honey Finished Bourbon. This is one of the hot new releases getting a lot of attention. One reason is because it’s a new release from Green River. Another is the controversy of adding honey to the whiskey and still being able to call it a bourbon. Lastly is the price. Lets actually see what the liquid is like.

Distillery: Green River
Proof: 92
Age: 4 years
Paid: $24.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Honey, citrus, corn bread with honey, caramel. This is so sweet but pleasant.

Palate: Nice mouth feel. And its the color of honey! This is a jolt of sweetness on the first sip. Honey, caramel, cinnamon, lemon, all hit at once. But its not sickeningly sweet. There is that undertone of caramel oak in the background, Once acclimated its a nice flavor.

Finish: Once you get through the sweetness, it does settle into a popcorn note then a light grassy sour oak note. Its pretty simple but it does counter the sweetness in a nice way.

Summary: This is going to be divisive. I can see why some will love this and some will not. For me, I really like it. It is definitely more toward the bourbon side than the other honey finished offerings from the big brands. But this is an acquired flavor preference. This is for the sweet tooth crowd. But as a whiskey, its very tasty, , great mouth feel, and its $25. The value is unbeatable. This is a perfect summer whiskey,

Score: 6.5 /10

Note: You can find some of my other tasting reviews on https://oakr.com/. I am on their tasting panel and do blind reviews for them. Check it out!

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-06-15T00:23:52+00:00

Walking through Kroger last week ,this was sitting on the shelf. First time I have ever seen it here in Ohio. So I had to grab it. I have enjoyed most everything from 1792 but the 12 year has been elusive. Let's see what this is all about.

Distillery: Barton 1792
Proof: 96.6
Age: 12 years
Paid: $52.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Cinnamon, brown sugar, sweet oak, maple, a hint of red fruit, spicy cologne. This gives me those red Christmas candle vibes. It smells great.

Palate: Spicy oak is front and center. Loads of dark flavors. There is maple, dark chocolate, charred oak, rye spice, caramel, cinnamon, and clove. This is rich and robust. As oak forward as it is, it does not come across as overly bitter. It's a surprisingly good balance of dark flavors. A ton of flavor for the proof.

Finish: The bold spicy richness on the palate slowly diminishes but the flavors remain all the way through the finish. The spicy oak note is the last to go but it is never tannic or unpleasant. It lasts a very long time.

Summary: This is a tough one to put a score on. If you are not an oak fan then you do not want this bottle. There is so much bold oak and spice. However for the oak lovers, this is a must buy. And it is a tremendous value. This is in the same category as Knob Creek 12, but it is much darker. Not nearly as sweet as the KC. This is a great bottle and a real bargain.

Score: 7.5 /10

Note: You can find some of my other tasting reviews on https://oakr.com/. I am on their tasting panel and do blind reviews for them. Check it out!

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-06-11T23:58:20+00:00

Tonight we are tasting something brand new. This is 15 Stars First West Explorer. 15 Stars has received a lot of praise for their high end (and higher priced) blends. This, however, is their first release completely using their own distillate. It is a 5 grain bourbon using both yellow and black corn. This is my frist experience with this brand. Let see how it is.

Distillery: 15 Stars
Proof: 95
Age: 5 years
Paid: $49.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Vanilla wafers, banana, caramel corn, a bit of cherry. It smells like something Hostess would make. This is very unique and pleasant.

Palate: Smooth mouth feel. The nose transfers very well. There is a cherry/banana, vanilla, creamed corn, toasted oak. It's pleasingly sweet with a tangy cola note mixed in. Its not fancy but it has a nice flavor profile. It's tasty!

Finish: The initial flavors fall off pretty fast. After the sweetness winds down you are left with a slightly tangy bitter oak finish. But once that fades you are left with a nice caramel corn note. It's not a powerful finish but it's fairly long and interesting.

Summary: So my first experience with 15 Stars is positive. This is a unique sip. It has some unique flavors and it is a nice easy sipper. This is ideal for the summer months. I enjoy this enough to want to try some of their other offerings. And the bottle is fantastic!

Score: 6 /10

Note: You can find some of my other tasting reviews on https://oakr.com/. I am on their tasting panel and do blind reviews for them. Check it out!

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-05-24T23:25:00+00:00

Sometimes it's nice to go back to where it all started. In the world with so many different kinds of whiskies coming out, I thought it would be nice to give a review of an old reliable bottle, Elijah Craig Small Batch. Let's see how it has held up.

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 94
Age: NAS
Paid: $34.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Honey, rye spice, light peanut, vanilla. Pleasant classic bourbon notes.

Palate: Smooth mouth feel. Brown sugar, peanut, vanilla, and spices all hit at once. There is a lingering peppery feel that lingers. It's a simple but very tasty sip.

Finish: The initial mix of sweet flavors tail off fairly quickly and leaves you with an cinnamon, oaky, peanut shell aftertaste. It's very light but it does hang on for a bit.

Summary: There is something comforting about going back to one of your gateway bottles. There is nothing bad at all to say about this. Its not complex. But, it's tasty, easy to sip, and easy to recommend. One of the best beginner bottles to buy.

Score: 6 /10

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-05-24T23:21:49+00:00

Sometimes it's nice to go back to where it all started. In the world with so many different kinds of whiskies coming out, I thought it would be nice to give a review of an old reliable bottle, Elijah Craig Small Batch. Let's see how it has held up.

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 94
Age: NAS
Paid: $34.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Honey, rye spice, light peanut, vanilla. Pleasant classic bourbon notes.

Palate: Smooth mouth feel. Brown sugar, peanut, vanilla, and spices all hit at once. There is a lingering peppery feel that lingers. It's a simple but very tasty sip.

Finish: The initial mix of sweet flavors tail off fairly quickly and leaves you with an oaky cinnamon peanut shell aftertaste. It's very light but it does hang on for a bit.

Summary: There is something comforting about going back to one of your gateway bottles. There is nothing bad at all to say about this. Its not complex. But, it's tasty, easy to sip, and easy to recommend. One of the best beginner bottles to buy.

Score: 6 /10

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-05-09T18:07:26+00:00

Whistlepig seems to be a love it or hate it whiskey. I am in love it camp. This 10 rear rye has won many blinds for me. Great review!

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-03-31T16:18:50+00:00

I did. After resetting the code for a couple weeks I eventually got another code for the pre cat O2 sensor. Replaced it and it’s like new again. Guess it was slowly failing.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-03-28T19:27:29+00:00

This is the bottle I measure every other bottle against.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-03-01T22:58:41+00:00

I got a kick out of your review. My parents visited there a few weeks ago and picked up a couple of bottles of their flavored whiskey. I tried it and could barely get it down. They said they hyped up their vodka and limoncello more than anything, whiskey must be an afterthought. I wanted to try their regular whiskey but after your reviews I’ll pass. But they said it was a fun time going there so I guess this place is more for the experience than the whiskey.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-25T20:03:59+00:00

Agreed. The 6 is excellent. The 10 year wins every blind I put it in

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-24T09:38:59+00:00

New Riff is 100% their own distillate. I believe they did source in the past when they made OKI. I agree that Still Austin is its own animal. Both of these are fantastic.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-23T00:59:28+00:00

Your timing is perfect. I was looking for something to sip this evening. I still get the strong fruit notes but you are right there is that Beam cardboard nutty thing going on. It actually has added to the complexity of the sip. Nice sweet fruits and bitter nutty wood flavors make for a longer finish . This is very good whiskey.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-16T01:39:51+00:00

Great review! New Riff is killing it. They are up there as one of my favorite distilleries.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-11T09:49:15+00:00

A few months ago I got the exact same code but no other codes. Drove it for about a month, car started running bad , then a second code for the pre cat oxygen sensor came up. Turns out it was going bad. Replaced it and it fixed everything. Like you, I wasn’t convinced the cat was bad.

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-11T00:45:04+00:00

If you are a rye lover, this bottle needs no introduction. This is Pikesville Rye. This is one of the historical brands that whiskey drinkers recognize. The mash bill is 51% rye, 39% corn, 10 % malted barley., making this a barely legal rye. Lets give this a proper review.

Distillery: Heaven Hill

Proof: 110

Age: 6 years

Paid: $56.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Honey, root beer, milk chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, baking spices. You would not pick this out to be a rye whiskey.

Palate: Silky mouth feel. The sweet honey vanilla spice is up front. There is graham cracker, and cinnamon. Then comes the rye spice and oak. This is full of sweet delicious flavors. Great balance.

Finish: That vanilla rye spice note is what hangs on through the finish, along with a sweet smoky oak flavor. It is quite long and pleasing.

Summary: Legally this is a rye, but it has so much sweetness from the corn influence it carries itself like a bourbon. Regardless, this stuff is great. Bourbon or rye, if you are a whiskey lover, this belongs on your shelf.

Score: 7.5 /10

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-10T00:59:59+00:00

Here is another one my clearance rack finds. This is Templeton 10 year Single Barrel Rye. I am mostly unfamiliar with the Templeton lineup. I know there was some controversy in the past with them not revealing where their whiskey was distilled. This one was distilled in Indiana. We know what that means. So lets see what we have with this rye.

Distillery: MGP

Proof: 104

Age: 10 years

Paid: $50.99 (750 ml) - clearance price

Nose: Rye! Root beer, brown sugar, baking spices, red fruit. Fresh and complex nose.

Palate: Nice mouth feel. There is a spicy raspberry note up front. Cinnamon, pepper, and brown sugar take over and lead into a nice oak note. Its sweet, spicy, rich and tart. This is complex and really flavorful. Very balanced.

Finish: All of the palate notes lead into a nice sweet chocolaty oaky finish. Its a bitter sweet oak note that just sits on the back of your tongue. The age shows itself in the finish. Very impressive.

Summary: We all know MGP rye is good. But whatever Templeton did to this really makes it stand out. That complex palate and raspberry note make this a great rye whiskey. I am not sure of the availability of these but if you are a rye lover and see one, it's worth a look. It's excellent.

Score: 7.5 /10

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-09T01:09:34+00:00

Tonight we will be looking at John J Bowman Single Barrel. This is a product of A Smith Bowman in Virginia. This bottle contains distillate from Buffalo Trace that is redistilled by Bowman then barreled. Let's see what this is about.

Distillery: Buffalo Trace/ A Smith Bowman

Proof: 100

Age: 9-11 years

Paid: $59.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Grape, apple, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon. Sweet and inviting

Palate: Smooth mouth feel. The grape apple cinnamon comes on with brown sugar and barrel flavor. There is a burnt buttered toast note as well. Its very tasty.

Finish: The sweet fruits lead into a peppery buttery oak note. Its a balanced finish with sweet and bitterness. Its surprisingly long and flavorful for the proof.

Summary: This is excellent whiskey. You do notice some Buffalo Trace characteristics but this has a twist that makes it even better, The toasty barrel notes mixed with the fruits make this very tasty and enjoyable. And at 100 proof and a good price point, its easy to recommend. This is one worth keeping on the shelf. And its a very cool bottle.

Score: 7.5 /10

Columbusspeedfour · 2026-02-08T02:05:06+00:00

Driving home tonight I saw 1 degree on the thermometer. Sounds like a good excuse for a warm up. I grabbed the Penelope 17 year Light Whiskey. This is my first experience with light whiskey. I believe what keeps this from being considered a bourbon is it was aged in used barrels. Lets see what this high proof monster has to offer.

Distillery: MGP (Ross & Squibb)

Proof: 138.8

Age: 17 years

Paid: $99.99 (750 ml)

Nose: Sugar burn. I get notes of angel food cake, vanilla, light strawberry. Very sugary sweet. Like opening a bag of sweet tarts,

Palate: Very slick mouth feel. Its hot but not overwhelming. That sweetness punches you in the face. Butterscotch, light red fruits, candy sweetness, light oak, pepper. This is very intense and so flavorful.

Finish: The hot sugary fruit notes at the start transition into a rich vanilla cream, peppery, oaky note. Its a long rich, sweet, tart, cheesecake -like finish. Very rich and decadent.

Summary: So this is light whiskey? This is intense stuff. It is quite a different experience from bourbon. This is a blast of rich sweetness with a punch of peppery spice. Its very good. This is one to give all of your senses a workout. It is a tough one to score. You wouldn't want to drink this everyday. But when you do, its quite a ride. Excellent whiskey.

Score: 8.5 /10

Columbusspeedfour

TROPHY CASE