Evan Williams Honey 750ML

Evan Williams Honey 750ML is a honey-infused bourbon liqueur from Heaven Hill Distillery, bottled at 32.5% ABV (65 proof) in a 750ml bottle. Scored 87 points by Tastings.com in 2023, this expression blends straight Kentucky bourbon with real, natural honey — not artificial flavoring — to produce a smooth spirit that retains genuine bourbon character underneath its sweetness.

Quick Facts: ABV: 32.5% (65 proof)  |  Origin: Kentucky, USA  |  Style: Honey Bourbon Liqueur  |  Distillery: Heaven Hill

Production & Heritage

Heaven Hill Distillery, founded in 1935 in Bardstown, Kentucky, remains the largest family-owned and operated distillery in the United States. The bourbon base for this expression uses a mashbill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye, distilled through column stills and aged in new charred American oak barrels. What sets the honey expression apart from many flavored whiskeys on the market is the use of pure, natural honey blended directly with straight Kentucky bourbon, preserving an authentic whiskey backbone beneath the sweetness rather than masking it with synthetic additives.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Orange blossom and raw honey lead the nose, followed by citrus zest and a layer of smoked oak. Underneath, peppered spice and faint bourbon warmth give this more complexity than many flavored expressions suggest.

Taste: Honey arrives immediately on the palate, coating the tongue with silky sweetness before yielding to vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger at mid-palate. A subtle layer of allspice and black pepper emerges as the bourbon base asserts itself, balancing the sweetness with genuine warmth. The 78% corn mashbill contributes a soft, rounded quality that keeps the honey integration seamless.

Finish: Medium in length with a gentle spicy kick that recalls the underlying bourbon's rye content. Honey lingers alongside a whisper of smoke and toasted oak, fading cleanly without excessive sweetness.

How to Drink Evan Williams Honey

Served chilled or over a single large ice cube, the honey liqueur's sweetness opens up without becoming cloying, and the lower 65-proof strength makes it exceptionally approachable straight from the freezer. It also translates well into cocktails:

• Hot Toddy: The natural honey integrates seamlessly with hot water and lemon, making a separate honey syrup unnecessary.
• Bee's Knees: Replaces both the base spirit and honey syrup, simplifying the build while adding bourbon depth and spice.
• Honey Lemonade Highball: Mixed with fresh lemonade and soda water, it produces a refreshing warm-weather drink with real bourbon backbone.

Best For

• Introducing bourbon-curious drinkers to American whiskey through a gentler entry point
• Building warm cocktails like Hot Toddies during cooler months
• After-dinner sipping as a lighter alternative to full-proof dessert spirits
• Casual gatherings where an easy-drinking, crowd-friendly spirit is needed

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Evan Williams Honey taste like? The dominant profile is natural honey sweetness layered over vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, with a subtle undercurrent of black pepper and smoked oak from the straight bourbon base. It finishes medium-length with a mild spice that keeps it from reading as one-dimensionally sweet.

How does Evan Williams Honey compare to Wild Turkey American Honey? Wild Turkey American Honey is bottled at 71 proof (35.5% ABV), slightly higher than Evan Williams Honey at 65 proof, which gives American Honey a bit more bourbon heat and spice presence. The Heaven Hill expression tends to lean sweeter with more prominent honey flavor on the palate and a softer finish overall.

Is Evan Williams Honey good for cocktails? Its pronounced honey sweetness and lower proof make it an excellent cocktail ingredient, particularly in drinks that traditionally call for honey syrup — a Hot Toddy or Bee's Knees built with this expression requires fewer ingredients. The bourbon backbone provides enough structure to stand up to citrus and carbonation.

Where is Evan Williams Honey made? It is produced by Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, in the heart of bourbon country. Heaven Hill, founded in 1935, operates one of the largest bourbon aging inventories in the world.

What foods pair well with Evan Williams Honey? Cornbread or biscuits benefit from the honey-forward sweetness. Smoked pork or honey-glazed ham echoes the spirit's smoky bourbon undertones. Apple pie or warm pecan tart mirrors the cinnamon and vanilla notes. Sharp cheddar cheese creates a pleasant sweet-savory contrast. Lemon desserts like tarts or bars play off the citrus character in the aroma.

What sizes does Evan Williams Honey come in? The standard offering is a 750ml bottle, which is the most widely available size across markets.

Is Evan Williams Honey worth the price? It positions firmly in the value tier of honey bourbon liqueurs, typically priced below direct competitors like Wild Turkey American Honey while earning an 87-point score from Tastings.com — strong validation for a budget-friendly flavored spirit.

Why Evan Williams Honey?

In a category crowded with artificially flavored alternatives, the use of real natural honey blended with straight Kentucky bourbon gives this expression a legitimate claim to authenticity. The 87-point score from Tastings.com confirms that the quality holds up under critical evaluation, not just casual sipping. Heaven Hill's deep bourbon-making heritage — nearly nine decades in Bardstown — means the base spirit carries genuine character: a proper corn-forward mashbill, new charred oak aging, and enough rye-driven spice to prevent the honey from overwhelming the whiskey. For drinkers looking for a honey bourbon liqueur that tastes like bourbon and honey rather than candy, this consistently delivers at a price point that undercuts most of the competition.