What we’re drinking: Green River Wheated Full Proof Bourbon
Where it’s from: Based in Owensboro, KY, Green River is the 10th-oldest licensed distillery in the state. Originally known as “Whiskey Without the Headache” and, post-Prohibition when that medicinal tag wouldn’t fly, the “Whiskey Without Regrets,” the brand was reintroduced in 2022 and is now part of Lofted Spirits, which is also home to Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Why we’re drinking this: While the revived Green River has only been putting out whiskey for a few years, they’ve already won me over on value: This is great bourbon and rye for $30 to maybe $70 for the harder-to-find, single barrel releases.
“I think there’s an opportunity at our price points,” says Dan Callaway, Green River’s master blender, who’s also part of Bardstown Bourbon Company. “It’s classic Kentucky bourbon at a tremendous value.” (He also good-naturedly calls Green River “bourbon without the bullshit.”)
Bardstown Embraces Mizunara in Its Latest Experimental Whiskey
The rare Japanese oak brilliantly transforms a blend of bourbon and rye whiskeysThe new wheated release has the same mash bill (70% corn, 21% wheat and 9% malted barley) as the expression that just won Best Overall Bourbon in the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition. This new release is simply the same at a barrel-strength intensity.
The secret behind Green River’s whiskey may be in its maturation. The company stores its barrels in clay tile warehouses, which (as far as I know) is unique in the whiskey world. “They’re wide tiles with heavy insulation, and they hold heat longer — you can go in there in November and it’s still warm,” Callaway says. “The company wasn’t initially doing it for flavor — it was for convenience and cost. And it’s small, only four stories high.”
Let’s try it.
How it tastes: The initial batch of Green River’s new expression was bottled at 109.3 proof (54.65% ABV) and aged for five to seven years. “The Green River profile is very fruit-forward, and it does well at high proofs,” Callaway says. And he’s correct. What you have here is a creamy mouthfeel, lots of fruit, citrus (lemon/orange peel) and an elegant, not spicy finish. It’s delicious and very approachable.
Fun fact: Last year, the distillery opened a tasting room on Whiskey Row in Louisville, KY, which offers a hidden speakeasy and a fill-your-own ceramic jug station so you can take home a single barrel, barrel-strength expression (which I did). It also allows you to play “Shoot the Shoe,” a game of skill using coins and the Green River bottles, which have a horseshoe-shaped design on the bottom.
Where to buy: Green River Wheated Full Proof Bourbon is available in 25 markets and online with an SRP of $49.99.
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