Update 8/25/22: 5 stars for customer service, 4 stars for product. Have made a couple of Old Fashioned cocktails with Kentucky 74 using my recipe. Using all Kentucky 74 and no other regular whiskey; the drink was good but you won't mistake it for a cocktail using regular whiskey. For my taste purposes, I cut way back on the sugar since Kentucky 74 is on the sweet side. I can live with this version when I don't want alcohol in my drink.
The cocktail was much better when using the 50/50 method: half Kentucky 74 and half my usual whiskey. I still use minimal sugar to keep the drink from being too sweet. This version is a nice way to keep the alcohol content down. I also made a vanilla Old Fashioned using Bittercube cherry bark vanilla bitters, half Kentucky 74, half whiskey and 1 ounce of Vanilla Crown which was good!
A classic Old Fashioned is my favorite drink for a chilly Fall evening so I am happy to have discovered a way to enjoy it while using less alcohol. I have not tried Kentucky 74 neat or rocks nor would I since it was not intended to be used that way.
Final thoughts: The smoke is strong on the nose but don't judge it by that. Don't sip it neat or on the rocks by itself. Try it in your favorite cocktail and go from there. You will receive a nice booklet with recipes along with your bottle. The packaging and presentation are outstanding, as is the customer service! It's a bit on the pricey side but I will order again and keep it in our bar.

Update 8/15/22: 5 stars for customer service at Spiritless!! I contacted Spiritless directly via the customer service link on their website and, using the contact form, explained the issue. That was on Sat, 8/13. A representative for the company immediately reached out to me first thing today and offered to ship a new bottle to replace the compromised bottle I received from Amazon. Needless to say, I am very impressed with their customer service and will order directly off their website in the future. I am looking forward to trying the product in my one of my favorite Fall cocktails, an Old Fashioned!

I just received my order. Upon opening the box and removing the bottle, I found the seal on the bottle was open. It looks as though it was intentionally cut open. The bottle is not returnable to Amazon and I cannot find a way to report the issue. Since the seal has been compromised I will not be using it and since I cannot return it I'm out the money. Very disappointed. Will not purchase again given the quality control issues. I will revise this review only if I am contacted by someone from Spiritless to resolve this issue.

I have ordered this product three times, the third because my second bottle chipped the glass because I had trouble opening it. It is a good substitute for whiskey and of course it's not the real thing but your liver will thank you. My favorite way to enjoy is to make it half real and half this when making a whiskey sour or to just add it to light cranberry cocktail juice or make a manhattan. It's certainly better than no whiskey at all. I have not tried any others, this one was pleasing enough I haven't shopped further. It's nice to have alcohol free alternatives, your guests appreciate them. Starting with a basic spirit, I can add real liqueurs and make an interesting cocktail that has less alcohol and calories than a real one would have. I like to drink cocktails alot at home which is bad for me, so this surely does help keep me feeling less deprived, allows me to go through the ritual of shaking etc. I wish more bars would have these products. I am forced to choose from potent drinks and then drive, and can't say I like doing that, I see my friends ordering water when I can make a mocktail with nearly no calories that is so much more fun.

I'm a 14-month sober college student, and I bought this out of curiosity. The mixed reviews had me intrigued, and after trying it for myself, I'm impressed. Beer and whiskey used to be my vices of choice; I've tried a lot of NA beers as they've grown in popularity (Sam Adams is by far my favorite as an IPA aficionado), but I just recently learned about alcohol-free spirits.
This one smells like exactly like whiskey right out of the bottle. When I tasted it neat, it has a heavy oaky/woodsy flavor up front, which may put some people off, but develops into the classic, lingering whiskey flavor profile. It lacks that classic whiskey "burn", obviously due to the lack of alcohol, but the flavors still somehow evokes a nice warmness. The texture is relatively thin: it goes down like a watered down whiskey, so I probably won't be drinking it neat or over the rocks. However, it would make a FANTASTIC mule or old fashioned.
It's not a dead ringer for whiskey, so if you're looking for an exact dupe, you'll be out of disappointed with any NA alternative. BUT, Kentucky 74 is as damn close as you'll get to the real thing. Even if you're curious, it's worth the purchase. I'm really excited to experiment with this product, and it definitely satisfies those cravings I still get, without tempting me to reach for the real thing. Buy it!

My Pro and Spiritless resume amd relevant details follow the apecific review*. **DISCLOSURE/IMPARTIALITY: I have no affiliation with, was not solicited by, gifted or in any way motivated to sample and review the product, the manufacturers of this or any other product of its kind whatsoever, neither feduciary, personal relationship, personal vested or any gainful interests etc exist. I didn't even know these attempts existed until I got a pop up PSA few weeks ago lol! So that said
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Serving myself first poured neat, then adding ice (rocks), then adding a mixer, AT NO LESS THAN A RATIO OF 2:1 STRAIT POUR TEST SUBJECT : MIXER. Spiritless Kentucky 74 is a well balanced recipe that most closely approximates the higher quality 86 proof bourbons on the market up to 2005; for all three conditions neat, rocks, mixed. The flavor for all conditions is most accurate of three different labels that I sampled on consecutive days in the same manner. It is a quality sufficient that I will purchase again and that I personally can tolerate and appreciate whether neat on the rocks or in a mixer. In spite of the reality that it to a lesser degree demonstrates the same lack of richness or depth as its on the market attempting the same endeavor of me making the flavor of an actual 86 proof bourbon purchased at a liquor store. However by depth are richness, contrary to other comments, Im not meaning the "bite" of the burn of the ETOH in booze. I TRUKY mean a DEPTH in ruchness or robustness of the flavors that present when tasted neat. Simply put it lacks the legs that would make it an outstanding yet not identical option for those who for whatever reason are so interested. I dont know whether this common endemic to all such creations is necessary because a more concentrated attempt causes a shift in flavor so extreme as to result in a profoundly inaccurate presentstion to the palate; or whether its simple financial logistics like price poimt amd profit margin. If it is the latter, I would encourage the makers to offer two versions: the present specimen and a more concentrated premium version. Because of the novelty of this market and the products, like any potential customer I simply did not know a thing outside of reviews, which tends to cause a person to think to themselves well yeah okay I guess I'll try it, because the retail price is an amount that for my budget and my household, that cost benefit allows me to dislike it and perhaps keep it for others to try and move on. And that's still true when trying a new label with a different recipe. As such, I would never purchase a bottle from any manufacturer for a price approaching the premiums of the actual distilled and spirited authentic products. That would be about as ridiculous as expecting a spiritless recipe to ever achieve a product that has an olfactory experience that is indiscernible from the flavor of the distilled spirit it is attempting to replicate.
But that said, at this price point, spiritless Kentucky 74 is absolutely hands down the best of the admittedly Limited number of labels and recipes I have tried thus far. And I'm actually quite surprised and impressed by the present results of the efforts of those behind the making of spiritless Kentucky 74. Such that I will likely purchase another bottle once this one is emptied.

Though I must qualify that my experience with this particular species of Beverage is limited to just three labels. Because, I bought this label along with two others (Ritual and ArKay) on the same day to begin stocking my side* of our bar at home. Ritual seems a little too bland and arcade is wow spicy. So having three bottles I also began experimenting with my own combination lol! And I discovered to my satisfaction but the best poor for a neat or On the Rocks taste is a combination of 2- 3 fingers of spiritless Kentucky 74 and maybe an ounce at most of ArKay (for said bite to whatever extent sought). So that's not a Divine ratio whether a subjective one that I found to be optimal for my purposes. When mixed out of the bottle sure this Kentucky 74 is what I would suggest serving up whether to you or a designated driver. Because no muss no fuss straight out of the bottle had the mixer and the results are good quality flavor close enough and not off-putting. Such that a guest would feel like a guest as opposed to an afterthought or a plus one or an adjunct or appendage because there's a designated driver at the party that evening lol!

*EXPERIENCE AND SAMPLING METHODOLOGY: Whisky was (still would be*) my favorite of the six basic distilled 86 proof liquors. I sampled each at about the same time on separate days and a clean palate and same environment, always neutral air. AND DID NOT READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST ON ANY LABELS UNTIL AFTER SAMPLING. Yes, Im a former pro and experienced bartender. A true "connoisseur" of whiskies; palate for spirits refined by personally sampling nearly every label up to 2005; retired 2006. And I had to retire because my fondness was in the extreme. And the thought of not ever returning to competition does not bother me because by the time I retired I had a lifetime's worth of professional experience under my belt, and the costs became so significant that they obliterated any benefit I had at one point achieved! Story all too common for those Pros with million dollar contracts who end up broke, lol! One final word of caution to anyone who is similar to the experience that I have shared. These products are close enough that if you have any doubts whatsoever in your mind, I suggest you avoid them. Because the reality is if you share my inclinations and are not very well committed to a life of retirement and are enjoying it such that you can find enjoyment in the flavor and not the effect because you are presently content and appreciative of what retirement has provided. And you're not seeking relief from something that is bothering you about retirement, then you're in the best position to decide for yourself. And the alternative every turning to Pro status, by the very definition, involves an absolute obliteration of the ability to decide for oneself whether or not to retire.

Tastes like the barrel and of course lacks that warm kick that actual whiskey has. But since it's non alcoholic, that is probably to be expected. Don't expect it to fool anyone. That being said, if you really need to feel like you're drinking whiskey but need to avoid the alcohol, this might be for you. Also, check the size. It is a very small, although beautifully presented bottle.