Caramel | Cherry | Brown sugar | Seasoned oak | Cinnamon frosting

Caramel cream candy | Dark brown sugar | Dark chocolate raspberry | Sweet oak

Black pepper | Rye spice | Charred oak | Hot pepper | Mixed nuts

After being acquired by Bardstown Bourbon Co., one of bourbon’s largest suppliers for non-distiller producers (NDP), Green River Distilling Co. continues to truck along. Found in a growing number of bourbon products on store shelves, everything from Milam & Greene to Dierks Bentley’s Row 94 Bourbon, it’s starting to feel like Green River bourbon is everywhere. However, being a relatively new bourbon on the market, the bourbon itself is far from the same as it was in 2022 when it launched, or surprisingly, even a year later in 2023.

‍Early runs of Green River Straight Bourbon were young and underdeveloped, an issue many younger bourbons often face. By 2023, much of that had changed, and a robust brown sugar note along with a spicy backend had started to develop in their bourbons. Now, 2 years later, the brown sugar note is much more tempered, even though it still provides the backbone of the sip. Interestingly, the spice that was hinted at in 2023, which was not fully developed at the time, is much more pronounced now, and found in many current NDP products sourced from Green River. Oak is another key factor in their latest incarnation, which contrasts earlier runs where it was light, thin, and quite sweet. Now, it tempers its sweetness but is more developed, seasoned, and has more weight.

It’s always interesting to experience a whiskey as it is developing. Though it’s not always an experience you get from a larger distillery, where products are “ready for prime-time” upon release. Green River Distilling Co. is a different animal, owned by the now-behemoth Lofted Spirits. There is an assumption that their whiskey is what it is, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s still developing and changing, like when a kid actor grows up on screen versus when most actors enter the limelight as adults. Not everything is completely dialed in at a younger age.

A lot about Green River Straight Bourbon in 2025 is more than what you would expect if you’ve had their bourbon before. It’s also clearly developing, and its flavor and characteristic sliders are still being adjusted. The bourbon hasn’t gotten wildly better or worse, but one thing that has stayed the same is its price. It’s a good approachable bourbon at an affordable price that is hard to find any significant faults with.