7 Whiskey Chocolate Bars, Ranked Worst To Best

Pairing whiskey with chocolate is one of our new favorite combinations. Sure, it may sound a bit strange at first, but once you notice that whiskey and chocolate pairings have complementary flavor profiles — be they fruity, nutty, or caramelly — then you realize how much the matchup actually makes sense. If you're a fan of this gastronomy duo, you can take the combo a step further and enhance the flavor of chocolate sauce with a few drops of whiskey.

Picking up on this trend, it's no surprise that artisanal chocolate makers are tinkering with the combination, taking some of the legwork out of the process for us. As part of their experimentations, some brands are infusing their chocolate with pockets of whiskey, while others are aging chocolate nibs in decommissioned bourbon barrels to incorporate warm, spicy notes into the sweets.

As a self-proclaimed whiskey lover and chocoholic, I've enjoyed this pairing a fair share of times, but had yet to really dive into the world of whiskey-flavored chocolates. So, I collected as many as I could get my hands on across a variety of styles in the name of research. Yes, research. In the end, I tried seven bars — four of which featured bourbon-cask-aged chocolate, while three had whiskey infused into the chocolate. Below is our definitive ranking of the best whiskey chocolate bars.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional products provided by the manufacturer.

Read more: The 27 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

7. Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liquor Bar

The name of this product is a mouthful, and so is one bite of this whiskey-infused chocolate bar. The Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liquor Bar is formed with eight hollow segments, each filled with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey syrup. On their own, each of the bar's ingredients really isn't bad; in fact, the 37% cocoa Goldkenn Swiss milk chocolate was probably my favorite bite of the entire bunch. However, that leaves out one crucial ingredient in this ranking: the whiskey.

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey — a blend of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and a honey liqueur made by the distillery — isn't bad on its own, either. It scored well on a list of ranked Jack Daniel's whiskeys, and this is a good spirit to sip on or use in cocktails. The issue for me is that the combination of the honey and the milk chocolate was far too sweet for my palate — and I like my sweets, and my whiskey.

I tried three varieties of Goldkenn chocolate bars flavored with Jack Daniel's, and found this overly sweet characteristic to be a common theme throughout. One segment as an after-dinner treat might do the trick, but I would be hard-pressed to eat even half of a bar in one sitting. At 3.5 ounces, and priced at around $10 a bar, this isn't terribly expensive given the quality of the ingredients; I would just rather spend those dollars and gain those calories elsewhere.

6. Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire Liquor Bar

The Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire Liquor Bar has many of the same issues as its Tennessee Honey confectionery counterpart. That said, this bar of Swiss milk chocolate infused with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire — a blend of cinnamon liqueur and Old No. 7 — offers a different flavor profile, thanks to the cinnamon. Unlike the Tennessee Honey chocolate bar, which had one predominantly cloying flavor, this bar brings something else to the party. I'm just not sure if it's what this party needs.

Don't hear what I'm not saying: Cinnamon and chocolate is a great pairing (especially in a hot chocolate), but since Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire already includes a liqueur, combining that with the milk chocolate still leads to an overly sweet treat. Again, this is a high-quality product with each 3.5-ounce bar costing around $10, so its price is not a problem. However, similarly to the Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liquor Bar, one segment may be nice once in a while, but I wouldn't recommend eating much more than that at a time.

5. Raaka Bourbon Cask Aged Unroasted Dark Chocolate

Raaka's Bourbon Cask Aged Unroasted Dark Chocolate is the first item on this list that doesn't actually contain whiskey; instead, the cacao used to make the chocolate is kept in bourbon casks for two months. The cacao in this 1.8 ounce, $7 bar of chocolate is sourced from Tanzania, and is not roasted. The manufacturer claims that leaving the cacao unroasted helps bring out its fruity flavor — and, you know what, it does.

Since this bar is 82% cacao, it's a very dark chocolate, giving off a distinctive aroma — but upon tasting it, you get a blend of bitter cacao and sweet cherry notes. If you like dark chocolate, it's definitely a good bite. At first, I didn't get any hint of the bourbon-barrel aging, but eventually I got it, sitting there in the back of your throat. It's not a bad chocolate bar by any means, but it's definitely a chocolate bar for a very specific customer. And in my search for the best whiskey chocolate bars, I'm pretty sure I'm not that customer.

However, I do like that Raaka is very transparent about its procedures and pricing. You will find lots of information on the wrapper about where the cacao beans are sourced, which batch it's from, and what flavor profile you can expect from the product. It's certainly a nice read while you enjoy your chocolate.

4. Fruition Chocolate Works Hudson Bourbon Dark Milk 61%

Next on our list — and belonging to a very similar category as the Raaka bar — is Fruition Chocolate Works Hudson Bourbon Dark Milk 61%. In the same fashion as Raaka, the packaging tells a bit about where the ethically sourced cacao came from, as well as the manufacturer's bean-to-bar production process.

Diving into the chocolate bar, made with nibs aged with Hudson Baby Bourbon and cask staves, you get a very creamy texture and a mildly sweet flavor that is not bitter at all. Fruition says that you should pick up caramel and vanilla notes in the chocolate, but I did not find those to be very forward. I also did not get any other hint of the bourbon aging until a bit after each bite, so be sure to give every nibble time for the whiskey taste to make itself known. Finally, I got a nice smoky flavor that sat on my tongue — like I took a sip of bourbon some minutes ago, and that aftertaste was still in my mouth.

I definitely liked this chocolate bar, and would have it again. It falls a bit lower in my ranking, however, because of that immediate lack of whiskey flavor. Everything from here on does a much better job of this. The 2.12-ounce bar is sold for about $12 apiece.

3. Dick Taylor Straight Bourbon Whiskey 70% Dark Chocolate

For this ranking, I tried each chocolate bar multiple times over the course of several days, and discovered that this is a tale of two tastings. Upon first sampling the Dick Taylor Straight Bourbon Whiskey 70% Dark Chocolate bar, I found it to be fine. It had dark chocolate aromas with a very sweet cacao flavor, but it lacked any whiskey notes. Upon further tastings, however, I realized that it has a much more complex flavor than I first realized.

Dick Taylor creates this bar by aging Belize-sourced cacao nibs in bourbon whiskey barrels, and the flavor from this process really comes through. First and foremost you get that dark chocolate flavor, but as the chocolate melts over your tongue, an oaky taste is absolutely apparent. It's a bit subtle, but the bourbon-barrel flavor is certainly present and not overwhelming. I also liked that you get the whiskey-cask taste while eating the chocolate, and not as an aftertaste like several of the other bars that I tried.

I do have to knock this for one reason: It's a limited-edition release. I'm not sure how easy it is to find this 2-ounce bar that is sold for about $15, but I would suggest keeping an eye out for it and grabbing one or two if you can.

2. Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Liquor Bar

Old No. 7 comes to the rescue. After finding the other Goldkenn Jack Daniel's chocolate bars to be unimpressive, I was worried when it came time to try the Goldkenn Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Liquor Bar — but I was pleasantly surprised with the experience.

This bar, without question, has the best combination of chocolate and whiskey flavors of any item on this list. What separates it from the other two Goldkenn-Jack Daniel's crossover products is that the whiskey in this one does not taste like sweet liqueur. As I already mentioned, the Goldkenn chocolate on its own is really enjoyable, but combining it with the naturally sweet and oaky flavor of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 elevates both profiles.

The only thing keeping this product from claiming the top spot on this list is the fact that I don't think I can eat much of this bar at one time. Maybe that's a good thing, as this forced restraint means that I can enjoy the bar over a longer period of time — but when I want a chocolate bar, I want a chocolate bar, not just one segment. Fans of whiskey and chocolate will find this to be a real treat.

1. Ritual Bourbon Barrel Aged 75%

Placing first in this ranking of the best whiskey chocolate bars is Ritual Bourbon Barrel Aged 75%. This bar also has informative packaging, detailing tasting notes of honey nougat, oak, and whiskey.

Ritual's bean-to-bar production methods for this include aging cacao nibs in High West Distillery bourbon barrels for a few months, indicating the level of professionalism that went into making this chocolate. On the packaging's inside sleeve there is even a space with lines provided to jot down insights on the flavor, aroma, and tasting notes. It was fun to fill this out while enjoying the chocolate. Speaking of my tasting session, it felt as if I were enjoying a piece of the fictional Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum produced by Willy Wonka — first I got the sweet notes, then some of the bitter flavor, and then the whiskey.

Of all the chocolate bars I tried that were made with cacao aged in bourbon barrels, Ritual had the most whiskey-forward flavor. It was also the most expensive, costing $16 for a 2.12 ounce bar. That said, it fits the criteria of this ranking better than any other bar I tried, and therefore, I had to rank it as the best.

Methodology

I considered myriad criteria when ranking these whiskey chocolate bars, but flavor took precedence. Yes, I wanted the chocolate itself to have a great flavor — it would most likely be the dominant note, so I wanted this to be something I would at least want to try again. But I also wanted to get a solid whiskey component, not overpowering the chocolate or being completely hidden by it. In all, I wanted that perfect bite, one that masterfully blended the sweet, bitter, oaky, caramelly flavors.

Beyond that, I considered how much of the bar could be enjoyed in one sitting — whether it was something that I could easily eat half of (or the entire thing) without it feeling too heavy or intoxicating. Lastly, I factored in the texture, price, and availability of these whiskey chocolate bars. In the end, the final calculation could also be simplified to: Would I buy this again? Speaking of which, while the prices included in this article reflect what I encountered during the process of compiling this ranking, prices for these items may vary depending on your location.

For these taste tests, I tried each chocolate consecutively, considering the aroma, taste, and even the packaging of every item. I truly enjoyed the products that shared details about the chocolatier's story, or how the bar was made. I tried each product multiple times, and made sure to have plenty of water handy to clear the palate between bites.

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