Kentucky Nectar Bourbon — Review and Tasting Notes

Kentucky Nectar is back. Originally released in 1967, Old Commonwealth Distillery has revived the brand as a double barreled, cask-strength, wheated Kentucky straight bourbon that’s been finished in honey casks. This 106-proof stunner drinks far below its ABV, packs a delicious pile of dessert notes in each dram, and will make any honey-finish haters rethink their ire. 

Kentucky Nectar Spring 2025 Release

Our Spring 2025 release of Kentucky Nectar, also known as Batch 3, released in May 2025. Just like our earlier releases but with a sunnier disposition. The Spring 2025 edition is lighter, more floral, on the nose. Fresh wildflowers mingling with orange marmalade and Cinnabon icing, a cherry Dr. Pepper note and a punch of barrel char are present.  

Midweight in the glass, it zips across the front of the palate before warming up the back. Chewy and oily in texture, it opens with cherry cola, then layers in honey, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, and clove. A fizzy cola note and trace of tobacco bring up the finish—long, drying, and hard to forget.

Kentucky Nectar Single Barrel Founder Pick 1

When our executive team gathers for a single barrel selection—their vision of what Kentucky Nectar should be—this is the decadent result. Bottled at a bold 114.5 proof, this cask-strength release opens with a deep, expressive nose: heavy barrel char, warm vanilla, a touch of honey, and a flicker of burnt sugar.

Velvety and weighty, this pour blooms on the tongue—staying front and center. Think cigar tobacco, cracked pepper, coriander, fresh stone fruit, and just a kiss of honey. That honey note? It waits its turn, showing up late with a pop of sweetness that kicks off a long, lingering finish.

Reviving Kentucky Nectar

Founded in 1865, Mellwood Distillery (so named for the street it resided upon) would evolve into General Distillers Corporation of Kentucky, and become the birthplace of Kentucky Nectar, decades ago. After a period of dormancy, Kentucky Nectar was last produced by Heaven Hill, as a private label brand for Chicago wine importers Geeting and Fromm, between 1957 and 1967. That 8-year-old bottled-in-bond Kentucky bourbon was of an unknown mashbill. 

While Kentucky Nectar wasn’t produced within any prior iteration of Old Commonwealth Distillery, the new owners of the Lawrenceburg facility were bullish on the brand. “Reviving vintage brands is our mission, combining our love for Kentucky history with our passion for whiskey,” says Zachary Joseph, Old Commonwealth’s president of operations. “The Kentucky Nectar label fits perfectly within our portfolio of vintage labels.” (Fittingly, however, the first name of the facility that is now Old Commonwealth was Nectaraen Distillery, established and operated by S.O. Hackley in the 1870s.)

While Joseph and partners Andrew English and Troy LeBlanc haven’t seen an original Kentucky Nectar in the wild, they sought to bring a twist to the label. After six months of testing various barrels of sourced whiskey and finishing iterations, most protocepts weren’t stacking up. “We tested 27 different iterations of finishes, and a wheated whiskey with a honey finish was the 24th variant,” says Joseph. That combination became Kentucky Nectar. 

Redefining the Ideal Honey-Finish Bourbon

“Finished bourbons shouldn’t be too sweet,” says LeBlanc. “We created a whiskey that’s tailored to the premium whiskey drinker but still approachable to category neophytes. The honey is subtle; more refined than gimmicky.” Most honey-finish bourbons use a high-rye mashbill, but wheat imparts a softer note that compliments the Kentucky straight bourbon characteristics without overtaking the base whiskey. 

Kentucky Nectar uses no artificial sweeteners, just real organic honey, placed within a new charred oak barrel. That presented a little problem when filling the barrels with the actual nectar. “Bees are attracted to the smell of honey,” LeBlanc recalls, “so we’re in the middle of getting the barrels filled with the honey and a colony of thousands of bees showed up and swarmed us all over the production facility.” 

Further, the large volume of honey used in each barrel added significant weight. For optimal finishing, the barrels then had to be hand-rotated on a regular basis. “That was a real labor of love, turning each barrel daily, just to get the honey in all the right surface area,” says Joseph, who personally wrestled much of the lot.   

Fending off bee swarms and manhandling barrels paid off. As part of market research, Old Commonwealth conducted a blind tasting, pitting Kentucky Nectar against several market-leading honey-finished whiskies. Seeking opinions on premium quality, proof point, and which dram consumers would recommend most, Kentucky Nectar won unanimously, across all categories. “Every participant commented they believed Kentucky Nectar to be the lowest proof,” says Joseph. “At cask strength, it was actually the highest.” 

Prior Kentucky Nectar Releases

Kentucky Nectar Winter 2025 Release

Our Winter 2025 release of Kentucky Nectar, also known as Batch 2, dropped in February 2025. Crafted in the same vein as our first release, the Winter 2025 release is a touch more honey-forward on the nose, with a warm wave of honeycomb wafting from the glass. Other notes on the nose are sweet vanilla, charred oak, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and a hint of orange zest. 

On the palate, the slightly oily liquid has a nice heft to it, coating the mouth well. The oak spice arrives at the back of the tongue, as dark chocolate, deep caramel, and toasted vanilla. The char quickly yields to notes of honey-drizzled fresh cornbread, roasted marshmallow melting onto graham crackers, toasted pecans, and a subtle floralness. The lingering finish, which has a balanced dryness, has earthy, rich notes of tobacco, barrel char, and clove, before rebounding to leave you with one final pop of sweetness. 

Kentucky Nectar Fall 2024 Release 

Released in November 2024, and referred to as Batch 1, this was the first expression of Kentucky Nectar. For tasting notes, on the nose, there’s ample charred oak, honey, crème brûlée, nutmeg, peaches steeped in brown butter. The charred oak, more prominent when first poured, softens over time, allowing the honey and sweet wheat notes to push forward.

On the palate, it’s char first, then a pop of sweet honey, baking spices, then cinnamon crumb cake drizzled with honey. And for the finish, sweet cream vanilla arrives first, before a fast dry down. The lingering note is definitively honey graham crackers.

How to Buy Kentucky Nectar Bourbon

Details about each upcoming seasonal expression, including release days, are sent to our Old Commonwealth VIPs first, via email. Sign up now to become an OC VIP and never miss a drop again. It’s fast, easy, and free: 

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