Blue Note Honey + Rye Are BACK🍯

Honey-finished whiskey has exploded in popularity over the last few years, and it’s not hard to understand why. Done right, the honey doesn’t simply make a whiskey sweeter. It can amplify the caramelized sugars, fruit, oak, and spice already present in the whiskey.

Not to mention, Blue Note is already quite popular here at Seelbach’s, with Blue Note Juke Joint remaining one of our go-to recommendations for anyone looking for a great-value, high-proof bourbon.

Typically, we’ve seen Blue Note’s honey-finished releases come through separately, and I don’t remember that we even had the Honey Bourbon available last year. Today, both are here for a limited time: the 2026 Blue Note Honey Bourbon Cask and Honey Rye Cask Volume III.

The process is similar for both. American oak barrels are seasoned with wildflower barrel-aged honey before welcoming the whiskey back for a finishing period, allowing that honey character to work into the spirit.

The 2026 Honey Bourbon Cask moves to a wheated mash bill this go round, starting with a 70% corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted barley mash bill, bottled unfiltered at 117.8 proof. We think that change makes a big difference, especially if you want a rounded, almost dessert-like pour.

The nose is buttery and rounded, balanced between warm cedar notes, nougat, and a softly fruity cream soda lingering. Pops of blackberry jam come and go with a gently lingering Tootsie-Roll sweetness.

The palate highlights texture right away, with this sort of honey-drizzled toasted brioche meets lightly seasoned oak beginning before it moves to more dense cream soda concentrate and candied mixed berry notes.

The finish moves effortlessly from the palate, as this sprinkling of warming peppery spice and citrus-kissed simple syrup carries it into a long, gently syrupy finish with strawberry jam and sweet oak.

The 2026 Honey Rye Cask follows its classic 95% rye, 5% malted barley mash bill, bottled unfiltered at 119.6 proof. (If you missed out on Forward Slash Holt & Capen Marionberry Mead Single Barrel, this is definitely one to check out.)

The nose is rich and full, with dense red fruit and citrus giving way to darker berries, thick caramel, seasoned oak, and a deep, almost mead-like richness.

The palate is rounded, saturated, and structured, opening with ripe berries before moving into boysenberry jam, grilled peach, and fried biscuits with apple butter. While this feels deeper and a bit more rye-forward than previous batches, it still carries floral honey through the middle alongside vanilla, black pepper, and a steady backbone of mature oak.

The finish is long and composed, with honey, citrus, and juicy fruit slowly giving way to warming spice, vanilla, and lingering seasoned oak.