I was first made aware of Savannah Bee Company on my first visit to Savannah, GA about 12 years ago or so. I was looking for somewhere warm to spend my Thanksgiving holiday and in a coin toss, it won out over San Diego. I never would have guessed at the time what a difference that coin toss would have made on my life. For one thing, it was on that trip that I had my first experience with a whiskey that wasn’t Jim Beam or Jack Daniels. I had started to get into spirits but hadn’t found a love of whiskey yet. So when I noticed that we would be driving right past a small distillery named MB Roland on our way there, we made a plan to stop in. It was there that I took my first distillery tour and really got interested in the process of whiskey. So, I guess you can credit that trip with what you are reading right now.
That was also one of the first trips that my wife and I made together after our child grew up and moved out. So Savannah has always had a soft spot in our heart and since honey from the Savannah Bee Company was one of the many souvenirs we brought back, it shares in that fondness.
And as we have discussed in the past, I love honey. I love it. I love it so much that I should have been named Poo Bear. And when my absolute favorite honey producer put out a honey that was aged in Bourbon barrels? Well that was a no brainer for me. I had to give it a try. I’ve looked at two other Bourbon Honeys in the past. Stubbees and Honey Feast. They each had different amount of honey flavor. One had a lot and was great in cocktails. The other had less, but that lent itself to food-based uses.
Here is what the producer has to say about their offering:
A premium harvest of our orange blossom honey has been carefully aged in the port wine barrels that once aged Angel’s Envy™ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The resulting honey is incredible! A sweet citrusy vanilla forward flavor with a hint of Madeira that slowly fades. A sweet collaboration!
So let’s see how it tastes. Will it be bold and boozy? Will it be subtle and sweet? Let’s find out.
Savannah Bee Company Port Bourbon Barrel Aged Orange Blossom Honey
Purchase Info: $27 for a 12 ounce jar at their website.
Thoughts: Less bourbon flavor than other bourbon honeys that I've had. Tastes like a bright, get rich honey flavor. There are hints of vanilla that are not there in the unaged version (of course I already had the unaged Orange Blossom Honey on the shelf), which I assume is from the influence of the Angel's Envy. I like it, but if I was looking for a bourbon flavor, this would not be my first choice of bourbon honeys. But they have offered up a cocktail to use it in.
Honey Bourbon Sour
Taken, and adapted slightly, from the Savannah Bee Company website
2 oz Bourbon, Angel’s Envy would probably be best a good choice
1 oz honey simple syrup (equal parts honey and water)
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz fresh apple cider
Honeycrisp apple slice for a garnish.
Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with a slice of apple.
Thoughts: Well balanced. The predominant note is from the lemon and apple, but it is very well integrated so that it is more an apple/lemon "essence" than a full on flavor. Add in a wedge of Honeycrisp apple as a garnish and this is a recipe worth keeping, and sharing. Much like the honey though, the bourbon flavor itself isn’t prominent, but instead adds notes of richness underneath.
Verdict: Overall, I really liked it, but would I buy it again? Probably not for the price online. I thought that almost $30 was more than a bit expensive for a 12 oz jar of honey. But I’ve seen their hot honey in my local supermarket for much less than what they have it for on the Savannah Bee website, so maybe there are places that are selling it cheaper. Or maybe not. It is a limited run after all. And we all know what limited edition means in the Bourbon world.
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