The Whiskey-Flavored Chocolate We Found Too Sweet To Enjoy

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Chocolate and whiskey may sound like an indulgent dream team — and for many, they are. When done right, the pairing strikes a bold balance between sweet and spirited, blending rich cocoa with warm, oaky complexity. But not every whiskey chocolate bar pulls it off; some tip the scales too far in one direction.

Tasting Table reviewed seven of the top whiskey chocolate bars out there. Four featured bourbon cask aged chocolate, while three had whiskey infused directly into the chocolate. Out of the seven bars we tasted, we ranked the Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey bar dead last. While it wasn't unpleasant, the combination of honey liqueur and milk chocolate leaned too sweet, even for those of us with a sweet tooth. Made with Swiss chocolate, it's a bar best enjoyed in small doses. The sugary intensity builds quickly, making it more of a novelty bite than something you'd casually snack on.

Our ranking was based primarily on flavor — we were looking for that perfect bite where the whiskey enhanced the chocolate, not buried it or blew it away. Texture, snackability, price, and availability also played into our final decisions. Each bar was tasted multiple times with palate cleansers in between, and we took note of aroma, packaging, and the story behind each product. Goldkenn's bar may have visual appeal and brand recognition, but when it came to taste, the sweetness overpowered everything else.

What separates the best whiskey chocolate bars from the rest often comes down to how the whiskey is introduced. Some bars, like Goldkenn's Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, infuse whiskey directly into the chocolate. Others, like our top pick — Ritual's Bourbon Barrel Aged 75% (available on Amazon) — take a slower route, aging the cacao nibs in bourbon barrels before the chocolate is made. And that extra patience pays off. 

Instead of layering in flavor artificially, aging allows the cocoa to naturally absorb the bourbon's character, creating a smooth, rich, and balanced bar where spiced notes like vanilla and caramel emerge without overwhelming the cocoa. It's the kind of depth you only get from time and technique. Bars with aged cacao also tend to deliver a more cohesive flavor — one that feels integrated, not added on. If you're shopping for a whiskey chocolate bar, cacao percentage is a good place to start. 

Higher percentages, like Ritual's 75%, tend to offer more complexity and less sugar, which helps the whiskey influence come through more clearly. So, is whiskey chocolate just a gimmick? It can be. Some whiskey infused bars try to do too much at once — a splash of liquor here, a hit of sweetness there, eye-catching packaging for added flair. But with the right bar — like Ritual's — it's a thoughtful blend of craft chocolate and spirit nuance.