Somewhere, a six-year-old version of me is very excited that this question exists. The current version is… less so.
A year ago, the honest answer would have been gummy bears. I still like them. They were an unexpected phase — soft, colorful, oddly comforting. I wasn’t loyal to one brand, though Haribo seemed to be the gold standard and Albanese probably did it best. Texture, flavor, colors — gummy bears were doing a lot of work for something that isn’t supposed to be part of a diabetic’s regular diet.
They still are.
But if I’m answering honestly today, I’m reaching for chocolate first. Not candy-aisle chaos chocolate — real chocolate. Darker. Slower. Something that doesn’t feel like it was engineered to bounce off the walls. Chocolate feels more intentional. More adult. Less likely to result in a quiet conversation with my endocrinologist that begins with, “So… let’s talk about your numbers.”
That said, I’m not eating much candy at all anymore. When I want something sweet, I’ve mostly traded sugar for something else entirely.
Bourbon.
Not candy, obviously. Not a food group. Definitely not doctor-approved. But it scratches the same itch — warmth, comfort, a sense that the day is done and I’ve earned something small and satisfying. It doesn’t come wrapped in cellophane or shaped like a bear, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is.
So what’s my favorite candy?
These days, probably chocolate.
But if I’m being honest — and I usually am — I’d rather have a good pour of bourbon anyway.
Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Being a bourbon drinker I have to agree it can be a sweet candy going down. Especially with a Padron cigar.
The problem is when the candy is too sweet going down and you lose track of how many pieces you’ve had! I like the suggestion -> quality bourbon + quality cigar. That’s a great experience!