I’m breaking the Bourbon Cheapskate rules this time.

Normally, this series stays at—or preferably below—the $40 line. Five of the six bourbons in this tasting climb above it. But before anyone reports me to the Cheapskate authorities, there are a few mitigating circumstances.

All five are still below $70. The lone technical exception is the Green River U.S. Army 250th Anniversary release I wrote about earlier this month. The whiskey itself belongs in that general price range, but the special Janice Brown commemorative decanter pushes the bottle closer to $80.

More importantly, Green River might be the biggest bargain in the whiskey world right now.

Its standard bottles are affordable, its higher-proof releases rarely wander into ridiculous territory, and even its limited or specialty offerings generally cost less than comparable bottles from more celebrated distilleries.

So this may not be a true Cheapskate-cheapskate tasting. But every bottle here still falls on the affordable side of the broader bourbon market.

The six contenders were:

Green River Single Barrel store pick from Shores Liquor, selected with the Degenerate Wolfpack — 137.8 proof

Green River Full Proof — 117.3 proof

Green River U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Edition — 111.1 proof

Green River Full Proof Wheated — 109.3 proof

Green River Honey — 92 proof

Green River Pour Your Own — 123.9 proof

The samples were poured into six small bottles and thoroughly jumbled, so I had no idea which was which.

I figured the Honey would be the easiest to identify. The 137.8-proof Single Barrel should probably make itself known too, and I thought I might be able to pick out the Pour Your Own. The other three could be considerably trickier.

Full Proof, Full Proof Wheated and the Army 250 release all sit close enough in proof and profile that I expected to spend much of this tasting confidently identifying bottles that turned out to be something else entirely.

That, of course, is why we taste blind.

Sample 1

The color was a solid copper.

The nose was warm and inviting, with oak up front, followed by light brown sugar, nutmeg, caramel and a hint of butterscotch.

I guessed this was one of the higher-proof samples because there was some noticeable heat on the palate. The oak initially came across as leather, but it gradually settled enough for more traditional flavors to emerge: brown sugar, cardamom, toffee and caramel.

It was an interesting balance, although the leather hung around a little more heavily than I usually prefer.

The mouthfeel was lightly creamy, and the finish was lengthy. Fortunately, the leather faded on the exit, allowing the baking spices and caramel to seize the moment.

Score: 83.22

Sample 2

Again, the color was a solid copper.

The nose was warm, with butterscotch, brown sugar, light oak and nutmeg. Green River’s signature profile was already becoming evident.

I started wondering whether I had been wrong about the proof of Sample 1—unless this was simply the other high-proof pour.

This one was definitely on the spicy side, but without the leather note that weighed down the first sample. The oak was present, though more muted, while buttery toffee, cinnamon, brown sugar and caramel moved across the palate in waves.

The mouthfeel was nicely viscous, and the finish was solid. Toffee and cinnamon led the way, with a surprising mint note appearing near the end.

Score: 83.98

Sample 3

Once again, the color was a solid copper. We officially had a trend.

The nose was warm again, but this one leaned even more heavily into butter—and I loved that. Nutmeg, light brown sugar, caramel and light oak continued the familiar Green River profile.

Cinnamon broke through quickly on the palate, followed by brown sugar, buttery toffee, vanilla and caramel.

Whatever the proof might have been, it didn’t dominate the experience. The flavor owned the day.

The mouthfeel was lightly creamy, and the finish was long and delicious, with buttery toffee, brown sugar and cinnamon lingering nicely.

Score: 84.96

Sample 4

The color shifted to a solid amber.

A whiff of oak and honey arrived on the nose, and there was no real mystery left. We had found the Honey.

Nutmeg and caramel were also present, so Green River’s trademark profile still came through.

The palate delivered a mouthful of honey, confirming the identity immediately. It was an enjoyable flavor profile, with the honey completely owning the moment while still allowing a little caramel and cinnamon to peek through.

The added honey gave the mouthfeel some welcome viscosity, but the finish was fairly quick and a bit one-note. Honey remained dominant, with cinnamon providing some support on the way out.

Score: 78.66

Sample 5

The color was a light copper.

The nose led with caramel, buttery toffee, nutmeg and oak. The palate picked up right where the nose left off, bringing cinnamon, brown sugar, caramel and toffee.

It was delicious.

The mouthfeel fell just below the first few samples, but it was still solid. The finish also came in a little shorter than Samples 1 through 3, though it lingered nicely with cinnamon, brown sugar and toffee.

Score: 81.59

Sample 6

The color was light to mid-copper.

Buttery toffee led the nose, joined by nutmeg, light oak and a sweetness that could have been honey or brown sugar.

The palate was terrific. Cinnamon arrived immediately, but for the first time in the tasting, a cherry-like note emerged alongside the caramel, toffee and brown sugar. That touch of fruit gave this sample a slightly different dimension from the others.

The mouthfeel continued the mildly creamy trend of the lineup, and the finish lingered nicely. Brown sugar, sweetness and fruit led the way, with cinnamon providing support on the exit.

Score: 83.33

The Reveal

Before the reveal, my guesses were:

Sample 1: Single Barrel
Sample 2: Pour Your Own
Sample 3: Full Proof Wheated
Sample 4: Honey
Sample 5: Army 250
Sample 6: Full Proof

I got four of the five uncertain samples right.

The reveal was:

Sample 1: Green River Single Barrel

Sample 2: Green River Pour Your Own

Sample 3: Green River Full Proof

Sample 4: Green River Honey

Sample 5: Green River U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Edition

Sample 6: Green River Full Proof Wheated

I had only switched the Full Proof and Full Proof Wheated.

That cherry-like note in Sample 6 made the Wheated identification make sense after the reveal, but Sample 3’s especially buttery profile and softer handling of the proof had pointed me in the same direction.

Green River’s core caramel, brown sugar, toffee and baking-spice profile was strong enough across the lineup to blur the distinction.

Final Rankings

The final tasting order was:

1. Green River Full Proof — 84.96

2. Green River Pour Your Own — 83.98

3. Green River Full Proof Wheated — 83.33

4. Green River Single Barrel Store Pick — 83.22

5. Green River U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Edition — 81.59

6. Green River Honey — 78.66

The biggest surprise was probably the Single Barrel finishing fourth.

At 137.8 proof, I expected it to separate itself from the rest of the field. The proof and length were certainly there, but the leather-heavy oak note pulled it down for me.

And fourth sounds worse than it really was. It finished only 0.11 points behind the Wheated and 0.76 behind the Pour Your Own. This was a tightly packed group.

The bigger story was the winner.

The standard Green River Full Proof beat the much higher-proof Single Barrel, the distillery-only Pour Your Own, the Wheated release and the special Army bottle.

And unlike some of the others, it is readily available.

The Affordability Index

Using my affordability index, the Green River Full Proof was the obvious winner.

It earned the highest score in the tasting and costs about $55, making it the best combination of quality and price in the lineup.

The Pour Your Own finished second on the index despite costing more. The Full Proof Wheated came in third, followed by the Single Barrel in fourth and the Army 250 in fifth.

Even though the Honey was the least expensive bottle, it finished last in the affordability index because its lower tasting score kept it from gaining enough ground.

But the numbers don’t tell the entire story.

None of these bourbons was bad.

Every bottle brought something worthwhile to the tasting, and every one of them is absolutely worth having on my shelf.

The Single Barrel delivered power and length. The Pour Your Own was rich, spicy and satisfying. The Wheated brought fruit and sweetness. The Army release offered a solid, traditional Green River profile. And the Honey did exactly what it promised, even if it was a little more one-note than the others.

Still, the Full Proof was the bottle that brought everything together.

It was the best-tasting whiskey in the group, one of the more affordable bottles in the lineup and the easiest one to find.

No hunting.

No special release.

No store-pick connection required.

Just a very good bottle of bourbon that also happens to be one of the best bargains in whiskey.