Green River Honey vs. Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam: Blind Review

Green River Honey won our blind tasting against Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Jim Beam Honey. It was the only one of the three we would drink neat.

At a glance

• Green River Honey: 92 proof; honey bourbon; four-year age statement. First place for both of us.
• Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey: 70 proof; honey liqueur. Second place for both of us.
• Jim Beam Honey: Around 65 proof, as we recalled; honey liqueur. Third place for both of us.
• Price difference: Green River cost about $5 more, based on the prices we were discussing.

How we set up the honey whiskey blind

We used mini bottles to keep costs down rather than buying full bottles just for a comparison. The samples were set up for us in Solo cups, so neither of us knew which was which.

We expected Jim Beam to be the sweetest, with Jack Daniel’s somewhere in the middle. We thought Green River’s higher proof would bring more oak and less sweetness.

We had also recently reviewed Green River Honey and really enjoyed it. That familiarity helped: we correctly identified all three samples before the reveal.

Nose and palate: honey, vanilla and actual whiskey

Green River Honey: oak and sweetness together

Green River’s proof stood out immediately, especially after tasting Jim Beam Honey. We got oak, sweetness and a clear whiskey flavor underneath it all.

That was the biggest difference in this lineup. Green River tasted like whiskey, while the other two leaned much harder into their sweet flavors. The extra strength was noticeable, but we both really enjoyed the pour.

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey: vanilla and a sweet finish

Jack Daniel’s smelled great, and vanilla was its standout flavor. We liked that note, though it tasted a little artificial to us.

Honey and sweetness filled out the palate. We didn’t get much whiskey, oak or other flavor beyond that, giving it a clear dessert-like character.

The sweetness stuck around after the sip. When we tried it as a shot, it also tasted stronger than Jim Beam, even though it didn’t come across as especially high proof.

Jim Beam Honey: lots of honey, very little whiskey

Jim Beam delivered a big honey aroma and an even sweeter sip. If honey is what you’re after, there’s plenty here.

For us, though, it crossed into sugar-water territory. We could barely taste any bourbon or whiskey beneath the sweetness. It wasn’t something we wanted to sip slowly.

That sweetness could work well in a mixer. We could see Jim Beam Honey in a Gold Rush, with a little higher-proof whiskey added on top. That’s a more appealing use for it than drinking it by itself.

Why Wild Turkey and Evan Williams weren’t included

We considered adding Wild Turkey, but we didn’t want to spend $25 on a bottle just for this blind. We also couldn’t find Evan Williams Honey and weren’t sure whether it was still in production.

We think Green River would still be our favorite with those bottles included. One of us also expected Jack Daniel’s to hold onto second place, though we didn’t taste either missing bottle here.

Our preference for whiskey shaped the result

We like whiskey more than liqueurs, and that preference showed up clearly in our picks. Green River was our best buy because it delivered the kind of pour we actually enjoy drinking.

Try these three blind at home and see where your own palate lands.