Green River Full Proof Bourbon Review

Green River Distilling Co.
Full Proof
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
117.3 proof
MSRP: $49.99
Review

Please enjoy our Green River Full Proof Bourbon review!

Off The Beaten “Trail”

The Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, KY, is a bit far from many of the other distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Therefore, many people may not be familiar with it. However, that won’t last long. Green River is rapidly gaining notoriety for their high quality bourbons and rye, which they sell at reasonable prices.

Green River Distilling Has A Long History

The story of the Green River Distilling Co. began back in 1885 when J.W. McCulloch first distilled his Green River Whiskey. At one time, Green River was the official whiskey of the U.S. Marine Hospital. That may seem a bit odd today, but at one point, whiskey was felt to have medicinal qualities. In fact, back in the day, Green River Whiskey’s slogan was “The Whiskey Without A Headache”. However, after Prohibition, when whiskey lost its designation as a “medicine”, that motto was not allowed to stand. So, it was changed to the “Whiskey Without Regrets.” Needless to say, both slogans seem a little suspect to me.

Green River Distillery Changes Ownership and Names

Over the years, the distillery would change hands numerous times, and eventually, in 2014, it was purchased by the Terressentia Corporation and renamed the O.Z. Tyler Distillery. The current iteration of Green River Distilling came about in 2020, after O.Z. Tyler regained the rights to the original name. Finally, the Bardstown Bourbon Company purchased Green River in 2022, and continues to own and operate the distillery today.

Green River Full Proof Bourbon is Born

Green River Full Proof Bourbon is the latest addition to the Green River line. It joins Green River Bourbon, Green River Wheated Bourbon, Green River Single Barrel Bourbon and Green River Rye. The barrels for Full Proof Bourbon are selected from Green River’s tile warehouses, which provide a unique maturation environment. The bourbon is bottled at “Full Proof”, which is a term without legal definition. However, it has been used by some distilleries to mean the proof at which the new make entered the barrel, whereas others use it to imply a high proof, such as barrel proof. In this case, Full Proof refers to the proof after all the component barrels (at barrel proof) are blended together. Therefore, the proof will vary with each batch.

Mash Bill and Other Details – Green River Full Proof Bourbon Review

Mash Bill: 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley
Age: 5-7 years
Proof: 117.3, but will vary by batch

Tasting Notes – Green River Full Proof Bourbon Review

Let’s taste Green River Full Proof Bourbon:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Rye spices, such as allspice; fruit stripe gum; sweet cherry candy; brown sugar; hint of wintergreen; toffee later on; mild dry oak; fairly strong alcohol vapor.
👉🏻Taste: Rye spices, brown sugar & caramel up front; hint of sweet fruit candy and gum; rapidly developing dry, oak, tannins, and white pepper spice
👉🏻Finish: Growing white pepper spice; allspice; fading sweetness and fruit gum; tart grapefruit; mild tannins & barrel char; increasingly dry with lingering white pepper spice; long with a moderate burn.

The nose initially starts off quite sweet, with fruit gum, reminiscent of Fruit Stripe, as well as cherry candy. There are plenty of spices as well, dominated by allspice. As my nose gets acclimated to those forward flavors, a rich toffee becomes more noticeable. Brown sugar, a bit of wintergreen and a touch of dry oak round out the complex assortment of flavors.

The taste has similar flavors, although the sweet fruit candy and gum diminishes, while rye spices, dry oak, and tannins become more noticeable. There’s quite a bit of caramel, too. The finish still sees some lingering sweeter flavors, but growing white pepper spice becomes more evident. Allspice lingers and sweet candy fruits fade, while char, tannins and a bit of grapefruit citrus increase. The finish is long, and becomes increasingly dry, with a pleasant warmth.

Conclusion – A Very Enjoyable Pour

Green River Full Proof Bourbon is a very enjoyable pour. However, the “Full Proof” in its name is not to be taken lightly. While not overbearing, there is definitely noticeable alcohol in this pour. However, once my nose and taste buds become acclimated to it, the flavors become quite full and rich.

Have you tried any Green River Bourbons? Are you a fan? If so, I think you’ll really enjoy the amped up flavors that Green River Full Proof Bourbon brings. Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Green River Full Proof Bourbon review! If you would like to learn more about the distillery, then check out our Green River Distilling Tour Review! Or, read about another of Green River’s whiskey’s in our Green River Rye Review or our Green River Full Proof Wheated Bourbon Review!

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the distillery for my review.

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