Bourbon Sweetness, and Then Some

Bourbon cream liqueurs lend a distinctly indulgent feel to your whiskey repertoire, and they’re beloved by those of us with a sweet tooth. It’s a luscious tipple nuanced with the oaky, vanilla-leaning flavors of bourbon, mingled with cream and a healthy dose of sugar. But bourbon is still the star of the show, imparting deep whiskey flavor thanks to its time spent in new charred oak. Though some mainstream bourbon brands offer cream liqueurs, this sweet tipple flies mostly under the radar, certainly when compared to its better-known Irish cream counterparts.

The combination of coffee and whiskey is a great place for bourbon cream to shine. Laura Thompson, bar manager at Prohibition Pig in Vermont, uses it in a bourbon riff on Irish Coffee called Kentucky Coffee, composed of bourbon, drip coffee, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream. Jordon Honeycutt, general manager at The Crunkleton in Charlotte, North Carolina, finds it a natural addition to an Espresso Martini, lending a velvety mouthfeel to the cocktail.

North Carolina-based Southern Distilling Company adds espresso-roasted coffee to the mix. Honeycutt loves using this coffee-infused cream because of its unaged wheated bourbon, which is sweet and mellow and “brings out bold chocolate and caramel notes” in the recipe. Bartender Detra Haycraft at Talbott Tavern in Bardstown says it accentuates the “strong vanilla and caramel flavors” of bourbon poured over ice cream, in a coffee, or alongside a cocktail of equal parts bourbon and butterscotch schnapps to play up the toffee notes.

At Talbott Tavern, bourbon cream is poured into dolled-up sugar and chocolate-rimmed Martini glasses and mingled with fruity and nutty liqueurs, molding it into bold and inventive dessert cocktails. Owner and distiller Phil Brandon at Arkansas’s Rock Town Distillery dives straight into the dessert side with a peach cobbler-inspired cocktail that includes Rocktown’s flagship bourbon, house-made bourbon cream, peach liqueur, Frangelico, and cinnamon syrup.

Embellished flavors like these stand as a platform to highlight other ingredients. Kentucky-based Larrikin Bourbon Co.’s bourbon cream is one example. It includes housemade light rum used solely for this cream, bourbon, and maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is also the sweetener in a version from Nashville’s Hard Truth Distilling, which Andrea Purdue, bar manager at Florida-based Mojo BBQ, uses to imbue Espresso Martinis with molasses undertones.

For those looking for a lighter, bubbly tipple, a glug of bourbon cream added to root beer, suggests Haycraft, inspires soda-float nostalgia. Scott Quoss, owner of Lansing, Michigan’s American Fifth Spirits, echoes this, but uses strictly A&W in their float, cautioning that some brands of “root beer can be tricky with cream liqueurs; some will be too acidic and curdle the cream.”

Bourbon cream might sound too sweet for some, but don’t be afraid to have a little fun.

6 Bourbon Creams to Try

American Fifth, 19.5%, $25

The highest proof of the bunch, this spirits group uses a wheated mashbill and a cream base produced by fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy company Galloway.

Buffalo Trace, 15%, $23

Made from Buffalo Trace straight bourbon, real cream, sugar syrup, and natural flavors, this one’s been on the market for almost a decade and is one of the most widely available bourbon creams.

Hard Truth Maple, 15%, $30

Hard Truth’s staple Sweet Mash bourbon and Wisconsin-sourced cream, kissed with maple syrup from Vermont.

Larrikin Smidge of Maple, 17%, $30

Proudly Aussie-owned, this combines the label’s Small Batch bourbon, house-distilled light rum, and Wisconsin maple syrup.

Rock Town Distillery, 17%, $24

Real cream and pot-distilled wheated bourbon made with grain grown exclusively in-state are blended in small batches at this distillery in Little Rock.

Southern Star Double Shot, 15%, $31

Named for one shot of bourbon and one shot of espresso, this cream liqueur uses unaged wheated bourbon from this Statesville distiller.