I didn’t choose this week’s tasting for its nominal similarities to the blog, but I’d be lying if I said it was completely unrelated.  I first read about American Honey in Malt Advocate (I think?), but finally saw it in the corner liquor store a few days ago and decided to give it a try.

Last winter I started mixing honey with bourbon every now and then to great effect as a simple, enjoyable winter drink.  I’d imagine AH does a fine job coming from such inspiration, but I’m worried that it will stray too far from the simple mixture of its roots.

Stats:

– $20-25
– Made by Wild Turkey / Austin, Nichols
– 71 proof

Presentation:

The bottle is quite attractive: sleek, simple, and unadorned – yet it begins to approach the dangerous territory of chic vodkas.  The major visual element is a silhouetted turkey on the rear of the bottle.  Otherwise the design consisted of a clearly printed “American Honey” on the front along with a brief description.

Perhaps thankfully, a long-winded, tall-tale origin narrative isn’t expected of this product.

Tasting:

A careful whiff demonstrates that this is indeed bourbon – you can definitely smell the char and wet grass elements.  It is definitely much softer and and lighter as one would expect.

On tasting, it opens strongly with honey then moves more into its bourbon elements of oak and hay.  What takes me most off guard is the almost floral finish to it, odd.  This is most certainly different from the mixtures I’ve whipped up at home.

Over all:

I like this, but I’m not sure I’d buy it on a regular basis.  It doesn’t offer much beyond what you might get by adding a bit of simple syrup to your bourbon.  That said, there are some interesting qualities to it that go beyond a simple honey/bourbon concoction that might merit further exploration in the realm of cocktails.