Overview: Green River Distillery sits in Owensboro, Kentucky — DSP-KY-10, the 10th oldest active distillery license in the state. That number is worth pausing on: Owensboro was a bourbon hub long before Louisville got famous, and the Green River site carries that history even though the current distillery is a more recent revival. The standard 90-proof Green River Wheated won World’s Best Bourbon at the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition, which is the kind of thing that empties shelves and inflates MSRP overnight. The Full Proof expression bottles that same juice at entry proof — 109.3 — no chill filtration, no water added. At $50 for a barrel-strength wheater from a distillery that just picked up a global award, the value case writes itself. Whether the juice lives up to the hype is a fair question.

The “full proof” designation here is distinct from “barrel proof” — the whiskey is bottled at the same proof it entered the barrel (109.3), not at the proof it exits after aging. That’s Buffalo Trace’s definition of full proof and it produces a different result: the entry-proof bottling tends to be slightly lower than what true barrel proof would be on older whiskey, where evaporation has concentrated the spirit. For a younger expression like this, the numbers are close enough that it mostly doesn’t matter — what matters is that you’re getting an uncut, unfiltered pour.

How I Found It: Picked this up at Total Wine after seeing the World’s Best Bourbon award on a shelf talker — that’s enough for me to grab a $50 bottle without much deliberation. Award claims in the spirits world are often a marketing exercise, but occasionally they point at something real. In this case the award is for the 90-proof expression, not this Full Proof version, so there’s some translation involved. What you’re getting is the same base whiskey at higher proof — theoretically more expressive, practically a little rougher around the edges due to the youth.

Age: No age statement (tastes young — likely 4–6 years)

Proof: 109.3 (54.65% ABV)

Mashbill: Not disclosed; likely 70% corn, 21% wheat, 9% malted barley based on known Green River expressions

Nose: Youthful, but not offensively so — there’s no raw grain or harsh ethanol jumping out. Dark fruit leads: blackberries and dark cherry. It smells like a wheater that’s still finding its footing but has good material to work with. Give it a minute in the glass before you commit. The wheat isn’t doing the full bakery-sweetness thing you’d get from a more mature wheated bourbon — it’s more restrained, more fresh grain than caramelized grain. That’s not a criticism; it’s honest about what it is.

Palate: The lead note here is something I’d describe as peppercorn honeydew melon — which sounds odd but works. The dark fruit from the nose carries over, joined by honeydew sweetness and a cinnamon-pepper spice that’s more assertive than you’d expect from a wheated bourbon. The mouthfeel is notably good for the youth and the proof — coating and smooth without the thin, watery quality that younger barrels sometimes produce. The wheat is clearly in charge, but this one has an edge to it. It doesn’t drink like a standard “soft and sweet” wheater; there’s something spicier happening underneath, which makes it more interesting than the grain bill might suggest.

Finish: More interesting than your average straightforward wheater. Some oak starts to develop, though it’s drier and slightly more astringent than you’d get from a well-aged bourbon — which tracks with the youth. The saving grace is that the stone fruit lingers long enough to keep the finish enjoyable. A few more twists and turns than expected, even if they’re not all sweet ones. It’s not the long, complex fade you’d get from something with more years in the barrel, but it earns its length.

Youth vs. Awards

There’s a legitimate tension in this bottle worth naming: the award is for the standard Green River Wheated at 90 proof, not this Full Proof expression. The base whiskey appears to be the same, but proof and age both matter — the Full Proof format amplifies what’s there, including the rough edges. If you came to this bottle expecting the same experience as the award-winning 90-proof expression, you’ll notice the youth more at 109.3. The award is real, the distillery is for real, and this bottle is still worth $50 — but manage expectations accordingly.

If Green River is aging their stock well and this whiskey is sitting in rickhouses another two or three years, the Full Proof version is going to be exceptional. The bones are there. Right now it’s a little early.

Final Thoughts: Green River Full Proof is a legitimately good bottle for $50 that’s honest about what it is: a young, proof-forward wheater with good bones and a bit of rough edge. The peppery spice is a surprise in the best way, and the mouthfeel earns its keep at 109 proof. It’s not the most complete bourbon on the shelf, but at this price point and proof, it doesn’t need to be. Buy it, drink most of it, and set one glass aside for a year to see what it does.

If You Liked This, Try…

• Larceny Small Batch — The reference-point wheated bourbon: 92 proof, fully mature, widely available at $30. Comparing the two illustrates what more age and lower proof does to the same general profile. The Larceny is softer and more complete; the Green River is rougher and more interesting in different ways.
• Larceny Barrel Proof C924 — Same wheated mashbill at 125 proof — the maximum-expression comparison for what fully matured wheated bourbon looks like at barrel strength. The price difference ($50 vs. $65–75) is almost irrelevant against the experience difference. Worth having both in context.

Rating: Middle Shelf — Rating system explained