Last Updated on March 1, 2024 by Lydia Martin
Bourbon is among the most well-loved distilled spirits because of its versatile and complex flavor profile. However, some people find the complex flavors intimidating and settle on drinking it on the rocks or as a cocktail.
If you want to try bourbon with the sweetest taste possible, we did a blind tasting of the best sweet bourbon that you should not miss out on.
Top 20 Sweet Bourbons You Should Try
1. Widow Jane Decadence
Average Price: Roughly $105.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 45.5%
Nose: Rich chocolate, oak, dried fruits, subtle vanilla, fragrant spices.
Palate: Dark cocoa, caramelized sugar, black cherries, warm spices, toasted almonds.
Star Rating: ★★★★★
Why We Like It: Widow Jane is a dessert-forward bourbon heavily infused with bakery flavors like rich shortbread, sugar, and a pleasant root beer bite.
Maple syrup is the dominant flavor, but combining flavors gives an excellent drinking experience.
Widow Jane Decadence can be consumed neat or drizzled on a rich vanilla ice cream. It is a versatile drink; you may want another glass once you taste it.
2. Eagle Rare
Average Price: Roughly $49.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 45%
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, honey, oak, hints of citrus.
Palate: Sugar, toffee, orchard fruits, and a touch of leather.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Eagle Rare is masterfully crafted and aged for at least ten years by Buffalo Trace, and every barrel is carefully selected for consistent flavors.
It lives up to its name and will give you a distinctive taste experience, thanks to its low-rye mash bill [3].
The taste is complex, with a touch of orange peel, herbs, leather, and oak. It is bold and slightly spicier, but the delicate candied almonds and rich chocolate linger longer.
3. Old Forester 1910
Average Price: Roughly $59.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 46.5%
Nose: Caramel, dark chocolate, oak, hints of dried fruits, and vanilla.
Palate: Spiced cherry, burnt sugar, roasted almonds, cinnamon, and smoky char.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Old Forester is not your ordinary bourbon because after it was matured in a barrel, it underwent a secondary barrel for a delightful and remarkable whiskey.
The second barreling of the drink grants an exceptional character with a smooth, sweet, and clean finish.
4. Evan Williams Single Barrel
Average Price: Roughly $32 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 43.3%
Nose: Honey, vanilla, oak, caramel, and a hint of citrus.
Palate: Brown sugar, orchard fruits, toasted nuts, and a gentle smokiness.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Evan Williams is one of our go-to sweet bourbons because it has a balanced texture, taste, and appearance.
It is sweet bourbon, but unlike other distilled spirits, it is lush and spicy.
The dark caramel and charred wood aroma are remarkable on the drink. Evan Williams’s finish is graceful, long, and relaxed, so it is not surprising that it is an award-winning bourbon.
5. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $33.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 47%
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Rich toffee, ripe apples, toasted nuts, and a subtle smoky note.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Elijah Craig Small Batch is an award-winning gem that is well-accepted because of its sweet and spicy tasting notes.
Elijah Craig Small Batch bourbon is fantastic for beginners because it combines the traditional flavor of bourbon-vanilla, caramel, and oak with creamy marzipan, cinnamon, and wildflower.
6. Belle Meade Honey Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $56.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 53%
Nose: Sweet honey, caramel, vanilla, oak, and a hint of butterscotch.
Palate: Honeycomb, brown sugar, orchard fruits, cinnamon, and a touch of toasted almonds.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Belle Meade Honey Bourbon is a dessert-like drink that remains natural tasting even though it is sweeter than other bourbon brands.
If you are into dessert-like whiskey but prefer something other than artificial flavorings, get your hands on this best bourbon.
It is spiked with locally sourced honey, giving the whiskey regional significance and unique tasting notes.
Aside from its gorgeous waves of honey, it comes with flowery notes, cinnamon, caramel, and vanilla flavors.
7. Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $54.99
Alcohol Content: 43.3%
Nose: Sweet maple, ripe cherries, oak, vanilla
Palate: Caramel, dark chocolate, dried fruits, cinnamon, and a subtle toasted coconut note
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a sweet bourbon you can enjoy neatly. It has an impressive golden reddish hue, and since it is finished in port wine barrels, it has distinct flavors.
It has subtle vanilla, maple syrup, toasted nuts, and raisin notes on the nose.
We appreciate the vanilla, ripe fruit, bitter chocolate, toffee, and citrus hints on the palate. Also, it is the best bourbon for Old Fashioned and Bourbon Sour.
8. EH Taylor, Jr. Small Batch
Average Price: Roughly $82.49
Alcohol Content: 50%
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, hints of orchard fruits, and spice.
Palate: Sweet honey, dried apricots, toasted nuts, and a gentle peppery note.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: E.H. Taylor Jr Small Batch is bourbon from the same distillery as the Blanton’s, and it is one of the best sweet bourbons we tasted.
It is a Bottled-In-Bond bourbon [2], and when we tasted it, there was plenty of luscious butterscotch paired with slight licorice and pepper.
E.H. Taylor Jr Small Batch by Buffalo Trace has an exciting palate profile that starts with caramel, corn, tobacco, and vanilla and ends with a faint hint of leather.
“I always go back and forth between Weller 12 and a few barrel-proof bourbons such as EH Taylor Barrel Proof.” -Kenny of Bourbon Pursuit
While it has a dessert-like taste, it does not overpower other characteristics of the small-batch bourbon.
9. Elijah Craig Single Barrel
Average Price: Roughly $288.88 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 45%
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, sugar, and a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Rich toffee, ripe apples, toasted nuts, and a subtle smoky note.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Elijah Craig Single Barrel is robust, bold, and incredibly complex bourbon with fantastic sweetness.
Elijah Craig is a well-aged bourbon, evident in its palate profile. It has rich corn, toffee, caramel, vanilla, apple pie, sweet oak, and candied fruit hints.
10. Firestone & Robertson TX Straight Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $48.59
Alcohol Content: 45%
Nose: Sweet caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, honey, and citrus.
Palate: Sugar, ripe peaches, toasted almonds, and a hint of toffee.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Why We Like It: Firestone and Robertson TX Straight bourbon is a wheated bourbon, resulting in a dessert-like and well-balanced drink.
It brought home different awards from various spirits competitions [1] for its floral, maple, all-spice, fig, and sugary taste.
You can compare it to Maker’s Mark, which uses wheat as a secondary grain for the drink.
11. Garrison Brother’s Cowboy Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $249.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 67.4%
Nose: Caramel, chocolate, toasted oak, dried fruits, and hints of vanilla.
Palate: Sweet toffee, baked apples, cinnamon, toasted nuts, and a subtle smoky note.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It:
Garrison Brother’s Cowboy bourbon is one of the best sweet bourbons you should not miss out on.
The high-octane booze has an unabashed sweetness with touches of pepper, caramel, oak, and citrus.
Garrison Brothers is best served neat and on the rocks. You notice loads of chocolate, molasses, sugar, and dates when you sip slowly. But how much sugar is in bourbon?
12. Rabbit Hole Dareringer
Average Price: Roughly $84.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 46.50%
Nose: Vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, dried fruits
Palate: Chocolate, orchard fruits, cinnamon, and toasted almonds.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It:
Rabbit Hole Dareringer is one of the best sweet bourbons in the whiskey world. The bourbon makes a bold statement because of its bold profile and sweet taste.
Rabbit Hole has a playful balance of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and cocoa. It has a luxe sherry nose and flavor profile because it is finished in a sherry cask after the liquor matured in oak barrels.
13. Redemption High Rye Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $44.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 46%
Nose: Spicy rye, caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, and hints of citrus.
Palate: Rye spice, toffee, dried apricots, black pepper, and a subtle herbal note.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: While it gives a robust spice, it is one of the sweet bourbons that gives out well-placed cherry notes, sugar, oak, vanilla, and fresh honey.
Redemption bourbon is supremely sippable because it balances sweetness and spiciness.
Like sweeter bourbons, you will still get plenty of dessert action as you sip slowly, which is excellent for bourbon beginners.
14. Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Small Batch
Average Price: Roughly $52.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 41.15%
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, sugar, and a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Rich toffee, dark fruits, toasted nuts, and leather.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It:
Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Small Batch is a fresh honey-forward drink with nice toffee and caramel flavors that you can find in most sweet bourbons.
Jefferson’s Reserve can be one of your go-to sweet bourbons because it has an accessible flavor combination that works well neat and in cocktails.
15. Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $24.50 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 40%
Nose: Floral notes, honey, vanilla, toasted oak, and hints of spice.
Palate: Sweet caramel, ripe red apples, toasted nuts, and a gentle peppery note.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: Four Roses Kentucky Straight is perfect for bourbon beginners because it has a mellow and smooth finish.
You can savor Four Roses bourbon’s unique flavors and aromas neat, on the rocks, or as a cocktail. It is a great bourbon that has a smooth and soft profile on the palate.
Read: Popular Four Roses Bourbon Variants
16. Double Oaked Woodford Reserve
Average Price: Roughly $59.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 45.2%
Nose: Caramel, dark chocolate, oak, dried fruits, and hints of vanilla.
Palate: Sweet toffee, roasted nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and a subtle smoky char.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is one of the best bourbons you can enjoy neat and on the rocks. The deep amber whiskey has rich notes of caramel, dried fruit, and toasted oak.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked has a rich mix of dark caramel, apple, baking spice, dark chocolate, and creamy vanilla in every sip.
Read: Our Favorite Bourbons With Vanilla Notes
17. Blanton’s Single Barrel
Average Price: Roughly $129.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 46%
Nose: Caramel, honey, vanilla, toasted oak, and a hint of citrus.
Palate: Sweet toffee, ripe apples, toasted almonds, and a gentle peppery note.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: Blanton’s Single Barrel Proof is a pride of Buffalo Trace, one of the minimal sweet treats that bourbon drinkers would be lucky to get their hands on.
Blanton’s is one of the best bourbons with satisfying sweetness and delicious punch.
The limited-edition blend features vanilla, nutmeg, and honey notes that you should look for in a sweet bourbon.
18. Black Eagle Honey Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $13.49 (Total Wine)
Alcohol Content: 35%
Nose: Sweet honey, oak, caramel, vanilla, subtle spices.
Palate: Rich honey sweetness, oak, butterscotch, sugar, gentle spice.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It:
Black Eagle Indiana bourbon is one of the smoothest bourbons available today. It is an old-style hand-crafted drink distilled from premium quality ingredients for a full bourbon character.
The sweet Southern honey flavor blends perfectly with the sweet oak character of the bourbon.
19. Early Times Bottled-in-Bond
Average Price: Roughly $24.99
Alcohol Content: 50%
Nose: Vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, dried fruits, gentle spices.
Palate: Sweet caramel, honey, toasted nuts, subtle citrus.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: Early Times Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey is BiB Bourbon, and even though it boasts such high proof, you can expect sweetness and rich dried fruit notes in the drink.
Early Times is a good bourbon that will remind you of baked goods.
While it is not as popular as other bourbons today, it gives surprisingly great notes in every sip.
The BiB whiskey provides interesting fruit notes like sour cherry and pomegranate and a fair amount of chocolate, oak, and nuts. It is best to be enjoyed straight or on the rocks.
20. Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch Bourbon
Average Price: Roughly $65.99 (Drizly)
Alcohol Content: 47.5%
Nose: Rich caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, dried fruits, hints of leather.
Palate: Sweet toffee, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and a touch of smoky char.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Why We Like It: Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch is one of the smoothest bourbons we have tasted, and if you are looking for a nice sipping bourbon, you can never go wrong with it.
It is surprisingly sweet, and despite its alcohol content, you can enjoy the bourbon straight.
It gives a sweet palate of caramel and vanilla, but it goes deeper and will give you some hints of spicy ginger and butterscotch.
“When life needs a touch of sweetness, drink sweet bourbons.” -Liquor Laboratory
Fruity notes are evident on every sip, but it has an impressively smooth and mellow finish.
FAQs Related to Best Sweet Bourbon
What brand of bourbon is the sweetest?
Widow Jane Decadence is the sweetest bourbon brand. As the brand name suggests, the drink is dessert-forward, heady, and rich with baking spices, making it the sweetest. It is a excellent bourbon to enjoy neat and on the rocks.
Is there such a thing as sweet bourbon?
Yes, there is such a thing as sweet bourbon. Corn is the dominant grain of bourbon, and since the grain affects the bourbon taste, it gets sweeter when combined with wheat.
Is bourbon the sweetest spirit?
No, bourbon is not the sweetest spirit but it has a sweet taste. The sweetest spirit is rum because it is distilled from sugar, commonly molasses or sugar cane.
Is bourbon sweeter than cognac?
What defines a sweet bourbon?
A sweet bourbon typically has a rich and caramel-like flavor profile, often characterized by notes of vanilla, honey, and butterscotch, offering a smooth and indulgent taste experience.
Why choose a sweet bourbon?
Sweet bourbons are preferred by those who enjoy a mellow and dessert-like flavor profile, making them ideal for sipping neat or in cocktails where a touch of sweetness enhances the overall experience.
What sets the best sweet bourbons apart from others?
The best sweet bourbons are distinguished by their well-balanced sweetness, high-quality ingredients, and smooth finish, ensuring a satisfying drinking experience for bourbon enthusiasts.
Are sweet bourbons suitable for beginners?
Yes, sweet bourbons can be an excellent choice for beginners due to their approachable flavor profile, making them enjoyable for those who may be new to bourbon or prefer sweeter spirits.
How should I drink the best sweet bourbon?
The best sweet bourbons can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or as a key ingredient in cocktails like the Kentucky Mule or Mint Julep, allowing the sweetness to shine through in each sip.
What flavors can I expect from the best sweet bourbons?
The best sweet bourbons often exhibit flavors of caramel, toffee, maple syrup, and brown sugar, with hints of oak and spice, creating a luscious and decadent taste profile.
Does aging affect the sweetness of bourbon?
Yes, aging in charred oak barrels can impart additional sweetness to bourbon as it matures, with longer aging periods often resulting in richer and more complex sweet flavors.
Are there different variations of sweet bourbon available?
Yes, there are various sweet bourbon expressions on the market, including single barrel releases, small batch blends, and flavored bourbons, each offering unique sweetness profiles to suit different tastes.
Final Thoughts
The Widow Jane Decadence stands out as the pinnacle of sweet bourbons [5], thanks to its irresistibly dessert-like profile and impeccably balanced tasting notes.
While it may come with a slightly higher price tag than other bourbons, its decadence is undeniable.
This bourbon [6] offers a luxurious, creamy, and vibrant experience, enveloping your palate with a full-bodied whiskey profile that leaves an enduring impression.
We’d love to hear about your preferred sweet bourbon from our selection, so please feel free to share your favorite in the comments below!
References:
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190805005498/en/Pernod-Ricard-Announces-Acquisition-of-Firestone-Robertson-Distilling-Co.-Owner-of-the-TX-Brand-of-Premium-Whiskies
- https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/drinks/a36466533/what-is-bottled-in-bond/
- https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/whiskey/buffalo-trace-bourbon-rye-buying-guide-prices-brands-value/#buffalo-trace-kentucky-straight-bourbon
- https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/11/17/9747068/what-is-cognac
- https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/04/5-rules-that-make-it-bourbon.html
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/bourbon-whiskey
