As a purveyor of honey-finished whiskeys from his online spirits store Seelhach’s, Blake Riber knew how hard it was to keep these types of whiskeys in stock. He set out to create an available honey-finished bourbon that he tells us, “hit a tight balance of highlighting honey, very drinkable, without being overly sweet.” He adds that it was harder than expected but ended on honey from White Oak Pastures for its organic garden and orchard, where their bees can forage across blackberries, muscadines, apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, and native wildflowers.

‍‍Furthermore, he took the company’s recently dumped 20 year old light whiskey barrels as the secondary barrel type, filled each of them with about 3 gallons of honey, and let them sit for 3-4 weeks each. Riber then added a gallon of bourbon to each barrel and dumped them. Then the barrels were filled with bourbon and let rest for 4 months in Jacksonville, Florida. Batches are planned yearly, with Batch 001 being approximately a 2,400 bottle release. The bottle in review is numbered 2410.

Though honey is the backbone of this bourbon’s aroma, it is far from overpowering. That’s because it gently lingers in the background, allowing richer, more assertive scents to shine through. Brown sugar takes center stage, mingling with the lemon zest, creating a sweet/tart give-and-take. A satisfying amount of toasted graham crackers and lightly melted marshmallows fills out the aroma, while a gentle wave of spicy oak drifts in toward the end. Maple butter syrup also unexpectedly steps in as a key player, filling your nostrils with a warm sweetness that ties all the elements together. Though sweet throughout, the aroma is nicely tempered. The result is an introduction reminiscent of an old-fashioned diner filled with breakfast delights.

The sip opens with a grounded layer of honeycomb sweetness, which is immediately joined by the nutty richness of browned butter. Adjacent lies a creme brûlée note, bringing forward the sip’s delightful creamy mouthfeel. It’s thick and almost sticky, coating the palate with its sugar. From there, cinnamon swirls in, adding a layer of gentle spice that lifts some of the sweetness without overpowering it. Each element works in harmony, striking an impressive balance between richness, sweetness, and spice.

The finish continues what the palate started. Its cinnamon gently ramps up, bringing back the maple butter syrup found in the whiskey’s nose. Freshly baked shortcakes combined with golden honey live up to the bourbon’s name. Subtle hints of apricot and peach can be noticed from here, adding a slight fruitiness in the background. Just as the sweetness begins to fade, a welcome burst of heat and spicy oak emerges, providing an extremely satisfying contrast, leaving the sip firing on all cylinders.

Ever since Belle Meade Distillery launched their now legendary honey-finished bourbon in the mid-2010s, many producers have joined the hive, so to speak, with different degrees of success. Much of this has to do with the honey itself. The flavor profile of honey can vary significantly as a result of the environment the bees are in and the types of flowers they visit. Honey can range from floral to fruity, earthy, nutty, sweet, and even bitter. This, combined with the amount of honey left in the barrels and barrel finishing time, has resulted in a wide range of honey-finished whiskeys.

Some common traits that many honey-finished whiskeys share are that they are overly sweet and/or feature a very acute and concentrated honey note. Balance isn’t paramount, and with many honey-finished bourbons, it can often be easy to taste the distinct honey and bourbon parts separately. Seelbach’s The Beekeeper, on the other hand, strives for balance and flavor integration, resulting in one of the most even, uniform honey-finished bourbons ever released. This uniformity also comes through in its appearance and mouthfeel. Seelbach’s purposely didn’t chill filter the finished bourbon before bottling it, leaving the bourbon with a distinct, cloudy, and honey-like appearance. This also gives the bourbon a viscosity reminiscent of honey without going overboard with sweetness. Given the nature of any batched product, there’s no guarantee this same effect will be replicated in future batches.

Honey-finished whiskeys have often commanded a premium price tag. Honey is not an inexpensive commodity, and the amount needed to influence the base whiskey (especially to the degree many producers seek) can usually be significant. Although Seelbach’s didn’t use actual ex-honey barrels (which can be a headache in their own right to work with), they re-used 20 year old light whiskey barrels from a previous release the company did, filling them with honey (and bourbon) and then emptying them. This potential cost saving was directly reflected in the price the company ultimately decided on. A $70 honey-finished bourbon from any producer would be a good value based on the production costs and the built-in demand for them, but considering how well-crafted this release is, $70 is an incredible value.

Blake Riber, once a bourbon critic and now the mind behind the Seelbach’s Private Reserve brand, proves that exceptional whiskey can come from outside the traditional ranks of distillers and can emerge from the most unexpected places. While many producers have gone along with the trend of big flavor over balance with their honey-finished whiskeys, the Beekeeper is a better whiskey because of its balance. Allowing the complexity of the honey and bourbon flavors to mingle and work together instead of turning into a who-can-scream-louder match. It’s a whiskey that’s more about its finer aspects. Incredible integration of flavors, balance between its sweetness and spice, and a thick mouthfeel that wonderfully coats your palate, resulting in one of the best finished whiskeys of the year.