Rich honeycomb | Butterscotch | Toasted oak | Caramel

Rich honey | Caramel | Butterscotch | Toffee | Vanilla custard | Slight leather | Buttery mouthfeel

Allspice | Leather | Graham cracker | Sweet | Lingering spice

Blue Note Honey Bourbon Cask closely follows Blue Note Honey Cask Rye, a honey-finished rye also sourced from Green River Distilling. It was aged for three years before finishing and bottled at around the same proof. Honey Cask Rye was released in August, and we enjoyed it so much that it made our Best Finished Whiskeys of 2024 list. Honey Bourbon Cask is a limited-edition release.

If someone were to envision what a honey cask finished bourbon would taste like, Blue Note Honey Bourbon Cask is exactly that. It leads with rich honey on the nose and then again on the palate, which ultimately defines the sip. The honey flavor is complemented almost perfectly by butterscotch, toasted oak, caramel, toffee, graham cracker, leather, and allspice. But what really drives the point home is the whiskey’s mouthfeel, which is heavy and buttery, clearly influenced by the honey cask finishing.

Starting with a 3 year old, presumably basic tasting bourbon could be seen as a fault for this release, but I don’t get any youth coming through the sip. Instead, the result is clearly a fusion of flavors that highlights honey, both in flavor and mouthfeel, yet still brings traditional bourbon notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, and baking spices. To add complexity, flavors of butterscotch, toffee, graham cracker, and leather accent the honey-focused mix. While this won’t be for everyone, Blue Note’s ability to craft a honey finished bourbon that meets (or even exceeds) expectations and is offered at a reasonable price point makes this a whiskey to pay attention to.