8 Best Flavoured Whiskies That Are Actually Worth Buying

If you think flavoured whisky is an outright sin against spirits, we have one simple question: why?

Is it because you’ve fallen into the trap of assuming every bottle is a cloyingly sweet, syrupy headache waiting to happen? While there’s certainly no shortage of artificial sugar bombs on the market, writing off the entire category means missing out. Today, a growing number of distillers are crafting flavoured expressions that are balanced, complex, and genuinely worth a spot on your home bar.

Few styles in the spirits world spark as much debate. Purists loathe it; casual drinkers love it. But if you refuse to even entertain the idea, you’re bypassing some surprisingly versatile, highly sippable bottles. To help you avoid the truly terrible flavoured whiskies (and there are many), we’ve collected some of the best that are actually worth trying.

The Best Flavoured Whiskies

1. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey

Jack Daniel’s is the most popular whiskey in the world. But did you know that brand also makes myriad flavoured whiskeys? One of its best is the subtle and memorable Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey. First launched in 2011, this whiskey liqueur is made with a base of its popular Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. They add their proprietary honey liqueur, made from real honey, and blend it to create this sweet, velvety-smooth whiskey.

• ABV: 35%
• Price: AU$55-65
• Cask type: This charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey is matured for around 4 years in charred American oak barrels before being blended with real honey liqueur.

Flavour profile:

• Nose: Charred oak, caramelised sugar, toasted vanilla beans, dried fruits, and a wallop of honey are found on the nose.
• Taste: If you sip it neat, you’ll get flavours like candied nuts, toffee, vanilla beans, charred wood, and honey sweetness.
• Finish: The finish is long and warm, ending with a great combination of oak spice and honey.
• Key Detail: This whiskey starts as the brand’s popular Old No.7 before any flavour is added.

2. Crown Royal Peach Canadian Whisky

When it comes to Canadian whisky, there’s no bigger name than Crown Royal. And while you can’t go wrong with stocking a bottle of its classic blended whisky, sometimes you want something with a little fruit flavour to change things up. This is where Crown Royal Peach Canadian Whisky comes in. Distilled at the Gimli Distillery in Manitoba, Canada, this whisky starts with Crown Royal Fine De Luxe blended Canadian whisky, then marries it with Georgia Peach flavour to create a sweet, fruity, memorable expression.

• ABV: 35%
• Price: AU$50-65
• Cask type: This whisky is matured in new, reused charred oak barrels for a minimum of 3 years before peach flavour is added.

Flavour profile:

• Nose: An aroma of oaky wood, vanilla beans, dried fruits, toffee, gentle spices, and ripe peaches greets you before your first sip.
• Taste: The palate is centred on sweet caramel candy, vanilla beans, brown sugar, oak, baking spices, and swirling peach throughout.
• Finish: It ends in a mellow, sweet, lightly spicy, warm finish.
• Key Detail: Fans of the classic Crown Royal blended whisky will love this version that adds the fresh sweetness of peaches to an already popular expression.

3. Ole Smoky Salted Caramel Whiskey

Calling Ole Smoky Salted Caramel Whiskey a unique spirit is an understatement. This borderline dessert whiskey is made with a base of Tennessee whiskey that’s blended with sweet liquid caramel and sea salt to create a salty, sweet, rich whiskey that needs to be tasted to be believed.

• ABV: 30%
• Price: AU$60-80
• Cask type: This unique whiskey is matured in charred oak barrels before it is infused with natural salted caramel flavour

Flavour profile:

• Nose: Scents of sticky toffee pudding, baking spices, vanilla beans, butterscotch, oak, and sea salt greet you before your first sip.
• Taste: This indulgent whiskey opens with butterscotch candy, toasted vanilla beans, caramel, baking spices, charred oak, and a hint of salinity.
• Finish: The finish is long and warm, ending with a memorable note of salty caramel.
• Key Detail: Adding caramel and sea salt adds a salty-sweet element to your favourite cocktails.

4. Foxhole Apple Cinnamon Flavoured Whiskey

This New Zealand-made flavoured whiskey begins as an American whiskey, then marries apple and cinnamon flavours to create a drink that tastes like you’re running through an autumnal apple orchard with every sip. It’s also the closest thing to an apple pie in whiskey form that you’re likely going to find.

• ABV: 30%
• Price: AU$65-70
• Cask type: The American whiskey base is matured in American oak barrels.

Flavour profile:

• Nose: On the nose, you’ll find notes of caramelised sugar, toasted vanilla beans, ripe apples, and gentle cinnamon spice.
• Taste: On the palate, it brings notes of charred oak, vanilla beans, toffee, and spicy cinnamon sugar.
• Finish: The finish is long, warm, and lingering, ending with a balance of ripe apples, caramel candy, and spicy cinnamon candy.
• Key Detail:  While it’s made in New Zealand, the base for this flavoured whiskey is actually an American whiskey.

5. Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey

If you already enjoy the smooth, easy-drinking nature of Jameson Irish Whiskey, but you wish there were more citrus notes, you’re going to love the subtle flavour of Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey. This expression blends Jameson’s award-winning triple-distilled Irish whiskey with real orange flavour. The result is a citrus-forward whiskey that adds a new level to your go-to whiskey drinks.

• ABV: 30%
• Price: AU$45-60
• Cask type: Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey is matured for a minimum of 4 years in oak barrels before the citrus flavour is added.

Flavour profile:

• Nose: Toasted vanilla beans, rich oak, butterscotch, gentle spices, and orange peels create a memorable nose.
• Taste: A velvety-smooth palate of candied nuts, caramel, vanilla beans, baking spices, and candied orange peels follows.
• Finish: The finish is long and warm, ending with a mix of caramel and orange peels.
• Key Detail: The mellow flavour of the 4-year-old Jameson blends seamlessly with the orange flavour, creating a unique, memorable expression.

6. Wild Turkey American Honey Sting Whiskey

With a name like Wild Turkey American Honey Sting Whiskey, you should have a decent idea what’s in store for you when you crack open this bottle. This sweet and spicy whiskey begins with Wild Turkey Kentucky Bourbon and pairs it not only with sweet honey, but also with fiery ghost peppers. Yes, you read that right. This flavoured whisky gets its heat from added ghost peppers.

• ABV: 35.5%
• Price: AU$50-75
• Cask type: Before adding the honey and ghost pepper flavour, this whisky is matured for 4 years in new American white oak barrels with a heavy #4 “alligator” char.

Flavour profile:

• Nose: For a hot pepper-centric whiskey, this spirit is surprisingly sweet on the nose, with aromas of caramelized sugar, vanilla beans, clover honey, and chilli peppers.
• Taste: The palate is loaded with flavours including orange peels, butterscotch, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, cinnamon, cracked black pepper, and slowly building ghost pepper heat.
• Finish: The finish is lingering and warm, ending with a mix of toffee, vanilla, honey, and gentle, peppery heat.
• Key Detail: Instead of just one flavour, this whiskey has two and one of them is a ridiculously hot pepper.

7. Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon

If you only purchase one flavoured whisky on this list, make it Knob Creek Smoked Maple. This popular flavoured whiskey begins as Knob Creek’s 9-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon that’s blended with natural smoked maple flavour. The result is a well-balanced whiskey with just the right amount of maple and smoke.

• ABV: 45%
• Price: AU$120-130
• Cask type: This flavoured whiskey is matured for nine years in deeply charred American white oak barrels

Flavour profile:

• Nose: On the nose, you’ll find aromas of vanilla beans, maple candy, caramel corn, and gentle smoke.
• Taste: On the palate, you’ll taste toasted vanilla beans, sticky toffee pudding, treacle, gentle spices, maple syrup, and light hickory smoke.
• Finish: It all ends with a warm, lingering finish of maple, vanilla, oak, and smoke.
• Key Detail: While many flavoured whiskies are lower in alcohol, Knob Creek Smoked Maple is actually higher in alcohol than most traditional whiskies.

8. Hochstadter’s Slow And Low Rock and Rye

This flavoured whiskey is so nice, it’s bordering on a cocktail in a bottle. It all starts with straight rye whiskey. It’s then blended with pure raw honey, rock candy, dried navel orange peels, and aromatic bitters. The result is one of the most flavourful, multi-layered flavoured whiskies you’re ever going to find.

• ABV: 42%
• Price: AU$70-80
• Cask type: This flavoured whiskey is made with a straight rye whiskey aged between 6 and 10 years that is finished for 6 months in used bourbon barrels

Flavour profile:

• Nose: Aromas of clover honey, sweet sugar, candied orange peels, vanilla beans, and cracked black pepper greet you before your first sip.
• Taste: The palate is a symphony of flavours including honey, licorice candy, toffee, citrus peels, peppery rye, and gentle spices.
• Finish: The finish is lingering and warm, ending with a balance of peppery rye, cinnamon candy, and orange zest.
• Key Detail: Unlike many of the other whiskies on this list, Hochstadter’s Slow And Low Rock and Rye gets its flavour from multiple ingredients.

What is a Flavoured Whisky?

At its core, flavoured whisky is simply a base whisky – whether bourbon, rye, Scotch, or international expressions – that has been infused, blended, or finished with complementary ingredients.

Distillers generally approach flavoured whisky in one of three ways:

• Infusion: Steeping real ingredients (like whole spices or fruit) directly in the whisky inside barrels or vats over days, weeks, or months.
• Blending: Adding natural extracts, syrups, or sweeteners to the spirit after distillation and aging.
• Cask Finishing: The preferred method for purists, where standard whisky is finished in barrels that previously held ingredients like honey, maple syrup, or fortified wines.

Unlike traditional spirits that sit at or above 40% ABV, flavoured whiskies often sit slightly lower (typically 30–35% ABV). This makes them exceptionally approachable, easy to drink neat or over ice, and a versatile shortcut for adding depth to classic cocktails.

It’s worth noting that under Australian food standards (FSANZ), a spirit must be bottled at a minimum of 37% ABV to be legally labelled simply as ‘whisky’. Because many flavoured expressions drop below this threshold (typically sitting between 30% and 35% ABV), you will often see them officially classified on labels as whiskey liqueurs or flavoured spirits. Regardless of what’s on the front label, they all share the same foundation: quality aged whisky infused or blended with natural flavours.

What Are Some Flavours Used in Whisky?

The spectrum ranges from standard crowd-pleasers like honey, apple, cinnamon, and salted caramel, to rich dessert profiles such as dark chocolate, pecan, and s’mores. On the experimental fringe, you’ll even find distillers leaning into savoury terrain with pickle juice, hot sauce, or smoke infused via traditional local methods (like Iceland’s sheep-dung smoked barley).

Why Drink Flavoured Whiskies?

1. It’s an Easy Gateway Spirit: High-proof whiskies and intensely smoky Islay malts can be intimidating for novices. Flavoured options soften the aggressive alcohol burn and balance heavy oak or peat tannins, offering a smoother entry point for developing palates.

2. Accessible Proof Means Less Burn: Because many flavoured expressions drop the standard alcohol strength to around 30–35% ABV, they offer a mellow, easy-drinking sip without the fierce heat associated with cask-strength or higher-proof spirits.

3. Friendly on the Wallet: You don’t need to blow a mortgage payment on a rare, long-aged bottle to make a great drink. Flavoured whiskies provide high utility and distinct taste profiles at a fraction of the cost of premium single malts or top-shelf bourbons.

4. It Elevates Your Cocktail Game: Instead of building complex syrup profiles from scratch, a flavoured whisky offers an instant shortcut to upgrading classic mixed drinks. Swapping standard rye or bourbon for a maple, citrus, or spice-infused expression adds instant character to an Old Fashioned or Whisky Sour.

Flavoured Whisky FAQs