Are you ready for a scary good time?
We all know it’s prime time for spooky movies, creative costumes, and carving pumpkins, but the sweetest treat of Halloween is all of the tasty candy out there. Whether you’re keen on chocolate, hard candies, or chewy caramels, there are a ton of classics out there to buy (or pluck from your child’s trick or treat bag, you do you). But here at Uproxx, we wanted to kick things up a notch. Since Halloween is a holiday full of equal fun for kids and adults, we wanted to give the latter a reason to celebrate.
That’s right, we’re pairing Halloween candy with the best whiskeys money can buy!
There are plenty of sweet bourbons, minty ryes, and subtly savory Scotches to choose from, so we’re including all categories of whiskey to create some of the best Halloween candy and whiskey pairings of all time. We’ll go through ten of the most well-known candies out there, some of my favorites, and the ones you’re most likely to see in the wild, and from there, I’ll match them up with three whiskeys that make for an adult version of a frighteningly delicious delight. As a bonus, you might even want to watch a classic scary movie alongside this list.
Leave drinking blood to the vampires, and drink some great whiskey alongside your favorite Halloween candy classics with this list.
Let’s go!
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- Ranking The 50 Best Bourbons of 2025 (So Far)
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- The Best Double Gold Bourbons From The 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Ranked
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- Breaking Down The 24 Bottles That Every Bourbon Fan Needs In Their Collection
The Candy: Butterfinger
It has a crunchy, peanutty core that’s coated in lush cocoa. The Butterfinger bar is an absolute classic in the candy world. That peanutty center might mercilessly stick to your teeth for a while, but the flavor combination is forever stuck in my heart.
The Pairings:
3. Nikka Straight From The Barrel
ABV: 51.4%
Average Price: $60
Why It Works:
Butterfingers are a classic crunchy candy loaded with roasted peanuts and chocolate-coated goodness. It’s a buttery candy bar that pairs well with buttery flavors like those found in Nikka Straight From The Barrel Whisky. The Nikka has some tasty malted chocolate backed by notes of honey and hazelnuts, which help enhance all of the flavors found in a Butterfinger.
This might be third on the list, but it could easily be number one for its scream-inducing savoriness.
2. Peerless Double Oak Rye
ABV: 51%
Average Price: $130
Why It Works:
Peerless Double Oak Rye has some toasted marshmallow notes that pair well with the cocoa in Butterfinger bars, and the candy’s chalky texture helps smooth out some of the rye’s rough edges. Some pairings, like the one with Nikka, aim to double down on the flavors of both components. This pairing, on the other hand, is all about complementing.
This spooky pairing is a match made in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab —if not in heaven.
1. Booker’s Bourbon 2025-01 “Barry’s Batch”
ABV: 62.85%
Average Price: $120
Why It Works:
Booker’s is well-known for being the nutty bourbon. While many people pick out peanuts in this bottle, for me it’s always been more of a hazelnut spread, with cocoa and roasted nuts combined perfectly. Layering Booker’s nutty, cocoa-laden profile with the similar-yet-different components in a Butterfinger bar helps to raise the floor of both, for a match so shockingly good it might even raise the dead.
In a pinch, you can go to Old Grand Dad 114 for a similar, more affordable pairing from the same distillery: Jim Beam.
The Candy: Almond Joy
With sweetened, shredded coconut guts, one whole almond, and a chocolate coating, the Almond Joy just makes me happy. A polarizing choice because some people (inexplicably) don’t like coconut, this is a well-rounded flavor bomb that actually tastes best in the “fun size” option. That’s because you can eat it all in one bite.
The Pairings:
3. Pikesville Rye
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $57
Why It Works:
Pikesville perfectly balances sweet notes more commonly found in bourbon with a hefty punch of rye spice, with just a hint of mint and oak backing it all up. For this pairing, the coconut sweetness needs a little curbing, and the formidable proof point and spice content in Pikesville do the trick.
This one doesn’t come with a pointy hat or a broomstick, but it’s still a magical pairing that you need to try ASAP.
2. Toki Black Blended Japanese Whisky Review
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $33
Why It Works:
Toki Black has a faint smokiness that really helps to elevate the shredded coconut flavor and pairs well with the chocolate and almond notes. Furthermore, it’s the subtle spice, the flavors of clove and cinnamon bark, and the creamy texture that all create this harmonious flavor profile alongside an Almond Joy.
It’s a hair-raising experience, perfect for werewolves and humans alike.
1. Widow Jane Bourbon
ABV: 45.5%
Average Price: $73
Why It Works:
Widow Jane has a pervasive coconut milk flavor to go with an impressively creamy texture, and both of those things complement an Almond Joy better than any whiskey in the world. This pairing, again, doubles down on the flavors of both ingredients to create an experience that will send you over the moon.
If you really want to put the nail in the coffin of finding the perfect Almond Joy pairing, look no further than Widow Jane’s 10-Year Bourbon.
The Candy: Peanut M&M’s
You know them from their lovable commercials, that satisfying crunch, and that great balance of peanuts and chocolate encased in a sugary shell that melts in your mouth, not in your hand. M&M’s are a classic candy already, but somehow MARS outdid itself when it stuffed a peanut in the belly of every shell.
The Pairings:
3. Jim Beam: Jim Beam 7-Year Black Label Bourbon
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $40
Why It Works:
Jim Beam 7-Year Bourbon goes light on the nutty flavor that Beam products are known for and adds a fresh drizzle of honey in its wake. It’s that overall sweetness with subtle nutty notes that helps to transform the flavor of Peanut M&M’s into more of a peanut brittle, with chocolate taking a backseat.
You’ll be riding on the highway to “hell yeah” with this pairing for sure.
2. Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled In Bond Bourbon
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ABV: 50%
Average Price: $120
Why It Works:
This pairing follows a similar logic to the one before it, with nutty undertones and honeyed sweetness giving Peanut M&M’s a more Cracker-Jack flavor profile that simply works. Going a step further, Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bourbon also has a bit of nougat and some hazelnut aspects, which help to take the taste in a totally new direction.
If you find yourself howling at the moon after trying this pairing, I won’t be shocked. It’ll change your life, if not your physical form, into that of a wolf.
1. Octomore 16.1
ABV: 59.3%
Average Price: $205
Why It Works:
While the first two choices are subtle modifications, this pairing completely transforms the flavor of Peanut M&M’s more starkly than a vampire bite. The hefty, though not overpowering, phenol level in Octomore’s new 16.1 whisky gives Peanut M&M’s a sophisticated spin that’ll haunt you from the very first sip.
While the kids are busy telling ghost stories, you’ll be telling all of your friends how frighteningly tasty this pairing is. Advantage: Adults.
The Candy: Candy Corn
You either love it or hate it. As someone in the latter camp, I was excited to experience candy corn anew with a whiskey pairing that would make the waxy, honeyed corn syrup treat more palatable. I succeeded.
3. Bushmills 12-Year Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $54
Why It Works:
Bushmills 12-Year, the brand’s base Single Malt Irish Whiskey, is an old sport that’s relatively new to America — not unlike the Prince of Darkness himself, Dracula. Matured for a minimum of 11 years in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, the whiskey is finally finished in Marsala wine casks for a honeyed, berry medley that totally envelopes the flavor of candy corn, mellowing its chalky texture and turning it into custard with raspberries.
You’ll definitely see red when pairing these two treats together, but in a raspberry, not Carrie, kind of way.
2. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat
ABV: 53%
Average Price: $50
Why It Works:
Again, one of the problems I have with candy corn is its signature waxy texture, but by pairing it with one of the most buttery smooth bourbons on the market, that issue is put to bed. Now, instead of nightmares, I’ll be dreaming of having a glass of Bardstown Bourbon’s High Wheat Bourbon.
Finally, it’ll be easier to sleep at night knowing this pairing can cure the common candy corn.
1. Mellow Corn Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $18
Why It Works:
Did you read the name? Seriously, beyond doubling down on the corn-y-ness of both ingredients, Mellow Corn completely knocks out the artificial corn syrup note in the candy and elevates it to a more refined, corn-pudding sweetness that leans into the unabashed nature of both components.
If I have to go down the dark alley of eating candy corn, I definitely want Mellow Corn Whiskey with me to shine a light on how good it can be. There’s a Pennywise joke somewhere in there.
The Candy: Kit Kat Bars
The Kit Kat is one of the most underrated candies on the market. It’s simple. Just a thin wafer with a chocolate coating (though it also comes in a wide variety of other flavors), this half-cookie-half-chocolate-bar creation is beautifully balanced.
The Pairings:
3. River City Whiskey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Small Batch (Batch One)
ABV: 62.7%
Average Price: $80
Why It Works:
This 6-year bourbon carries a ton of classic flavors, thanks in part to its hefty proof and adept blending. Rich notes of nougat, roasted hazelnuts, and red berries all blossom from a bed of oak, giving this whiskey a sumptuous and satisfyingly balanced profile. When taken with the simple sophistication of a Kit Kat bar, it builds on that flawless foundation for a sum greater than its parts.
Dr. Frankenstein himself couldn’t create a mish-mash this genius, but you don’t need a PhD to diagnose delicious flavor —just River City Whiskey and a classic candy bar.
2. The Dalmore Cigar Malt
ABV: 44%
Average Price: $190
Why It Works:
The Dalmore’s Cigar Malt Reserve may have been created to complement a cigar perfectly, but absent the smoke and tobacco notes of a good stick, this Highland Single Malt is equally impressive with a Kit Kat. The presence of subtle red berries and faint sherried nutiness cling to the candy’s underlying wafer notes, making the pairing come across as decadent, while the chocolate plays well with the honeyed malt notes.
This combination will send a jack-o-lantern-like smile across your face, that’s sure to last long beyond October 31st.
1. Woodinville Bourbon
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $38
Why It Works:
While our first whiskey takes center stage, and the second pairing is all about changing things completely, our final Kit Kat pairing keeps it simple. This pairing allows the Kit Kat to shine. Woodinville’s Bourbon has a shaved coconut and milk chocolate flavor profile that allows the first flavor to bolster the wafer’s sweetness, while the latter adds depth and heft to the Kit Kat’s cocoa coating.
This one will slowly creep up on you like Mike Meyers, and even though some of the wonkier entries into the franchise are fun, sometimes sticking to the basics gets the job done.
The Candy: Snickers
The official candy of curing hangriness, Snickers combines all of the prototypical “chocolate bar” flavors in one. Nougat, caramel, and peanuts, all ensconced in milk chocolate, make up this classic candy.
The Pairings:
3. Knob Creek 9-Year Small Batch Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $38
Why It Works:
Knob Creek Bourbon already has a nutty backbone, but it’s the subtle notes of nougat, caramel, and chocolate combined with oaky undertones that make it such a classic whiskey. Sound familiar? Some pairings are all work and no play, which makes Jack a dull boy, and those combinations are often equally lacking. This one allows all of the similar flavors to play nicely together, for a pairing that won’t leave you out in the cold.
Take a stab at it and see for yourself.
2. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
ABV: 43.2%
Average Price: $40
Why It Works:
Woodford Reserve is full of brown sugar, faintly toasted coconut, and milk chocolate notes, which allow this pairing to lean into the Snickers’ best qualities while offering enough variance to give you something extra to chew on. It might all seem idyllic, even suspiciously normal, at first, but the best part is that thanks to Woodford’s modest proof, it doesn’t go up in flames in the end.
Is that a Wicker Man reference or a Midsommar reference? Take your pick, this pairing is an instant classic either way.
1. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B525
ABV: 63.1%
Average Price: $95
Why It Works:
I’ve always found that despite its delicious, classic profile, Snickers is a bit “busy” as a candy. Elijah Craig’s Barrel Proof Bourbon is equally balanced, yet busy like a Jackson Pollock painting, or the blood splatter at a horror crime scene, and so pairing them helps your palate make sense of all that jazz.
The Barrel Proof Elijah Craig might be a fiery spirit that goes down easily, but paired with a Snickers bar, you can skip the exorcism. This is a combination you definitely want inside of you.
The Candy: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
When it comes to American candy, it really feels like the good old Hershey bar rules them all. Using fresh milk through a closely guarded trade secret, Hershey’s brand milk chocolate has come to define the country’s idea of the flavor. They don’t call it “The Great American Chocolate Bar” for nothing.
The Pairings:
3. Old Forester: Old Forester 100-Proof Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $37
Why It Works:
The idea here is to put a distinct cherry note at the heart of this pairing, turning Hershey’s milk chocolate bar into more of a cherry cordial. It’s a simple twist, but it’ll make you smile in the end and send you running back for another taste.
Fans of the movie Weapons will surely appreciate this one.
2. Rittenhouse Rye
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $28
Why It Works:
This is a pairing that takes Hershey’s milk chocolate to the dark side. Loaded with anise, red pepper flakes, and other baking spice notes for a brooding, grounded flavor profile, combining the bartender’s favorite mixing rye with The Great American Chocolate Bar gives both old classics an avant-garde spin.
It’s a scary-good pairing that David Eggers —and really anyone else —will love.
1. Eagle Rare 12-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $350
Why It Works:
This pairing doubles down on the idea that a touch of cherry elevates milk chocolate’s flavor. The new Eagle Rare 12 offers a darker sweetness than its 10-year predecessor, which perfectly complements the Hershey’s chocolate bar, which itself has an extra layer of richness thanks to the fresh milk in its recipe.
It’s no mystery that cherries and chocolate go well together; this pairing is just bloody good.
The Candy: Twix
A biscuit coated in caramel and milk chocolate and typically sold in a two-pack, Twix candy bars are a beloved Halloween staple. They were never the first candy I’d greedily gobble up out of my trick-or-treat bag, but when they were one of the only remaining options, I was always incredibly grateful for them. Fun fact: They were first produced in 1967, and the name is a portmanteau of “twin sticks”.
The Pairings:
3. Mugen Spirits Yokai Bourbon
ABV: 70.9%
Average Price: $140
Why It Works:
Similar to Snickers, I’ve always found Twix surprisingly “busy” on the palate, despite its simple makeup. To stand up to its rigid texture and dense flavor profile, you’ll want to go with a slightly higher-proof bourbon, and Yokai from Mugen Spirits is the perfect choice in that regard. That concentrated flavor enables Yokai to cut through the Twix’s decadence and amplify the chocolate and caramel tones.
This is yet another scary-good pairing with a happy ending.
2. Redbreast 15-Year Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $130
Why It Works:
Going in the opposite direction of our pairing above, Redbreast 15 has a lovely and more delicate sweetness that brings some caramel to the party to be sure, but also some cooked pear, pie crust, and honey notes. It’s that lighter sweetness that elevates the biscuit and caramel tones in this one, relegating the chocolate to a sidekick for a surprising twist that works.
You know how in some scary movies it’s the least threatening character who gets to make the decisive blow to the “big scary”? This pairing is that, but for your mouth.
1. Wild Turkey 8-Year 101-Proof Bourbon
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $45
Why It Works:
Wild Turkey’s 8-Year 101 Bourbon has a subtle force, providing a great kick of spice and bourbon-bite that blends well with the richness of a Twix bar without overpowering it. I’ve always felt that the best part of a Twix is how it gives its gentler, sweeter tones plenty of space to shine alongside all of that creamy milk chocolate. Wild Turkey 8-Year 101 follows that track, stalks it really, to its natural conclusion.
The result is a killer pairing that you definitely need to try.
The Candy: Sour Patch Kids
Known initially as Mars Men, Sour Patch Kids are a gummy candy coated in both standard and sour sugar, giving them their famous tagline, “Sour. Sweet. Gone.” These tasty little Martians aren’t as common as some of the other candies on the list but they’ve skyrocketed in popularity since their inception in the early 70s.
The Pairings:
3. Wilderness Trail Rye
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49
Why It Works:
Rye seems like a natural foil to the piquant tartness in Sour Patch Kids, thanks to its equally piquant spice notes and subtle oak. Wilderness Trail Rye, however, infuses some minty sweetness into the mix along with some caramel that mellows the sharpness of those tart notes on your palate and enhances the whiskey.
You might feel like you’re descending into madness trying to make sense of this pairing, but play it cool. Not every crazy-good pairing needs a clear-cut explanation.
2. Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $58
Why It Works:
Glenfiddich 12 is one of the consummate easy-sippers in the whisky world, one that’s exceedingly approachable and gentle on the palate. Using this whisky for a Sour Patch Kids pairing gives the bold and tart candy a soft landing as the liquid helps to melt away those sour notes, leaving you with nothing but the sweetness to savor.
Think of it like giving the tartness a quiet hiding spot while you enjoy the sweet notes in this killer combination.
1. Michter’s US*1 Rye
ABV: 42.4%
Average Price: $45
Why It Works:
Michter’s US*1 Rye is out of this world. While the green label is reminiscent of invaders from Mars, its sweet corn and subtle baking spice flavors are distinctly earthly, which helps to ground the tangy-then-sweet act in Sour Patch Kids in familiar flavors that enhance rather than rebel against the anthropomorphic candy.
Eating Sour Patch Kids might seem ripe for a Silence of the Lambs reference, but this pairing is the truth, and when it comes to otherworldly flavor and the availability of these two components, the truth is out there.
The Candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
This is the granddaddy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are far and away the most popular Halloween candy on the market today, and to be sure, they’ve always been my favorite. Created on November 15, 1928, by H.B. Reese, this delicious blend of peanut butter and milk chocolate was initially called “Penny Cups” because they sold for a single cent.
Maybe Stephen King used that original moniker as inspiration when naming a certain killer clown?
3. Wolves American Single Malt Whiskey
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $99
Why It Works:
Perhaps the most unexpected pairing on this entire list, the idea is simple: Pairing Wolves ASM Whiskey with Reese’s Cups zags away from the classic candy’s core flavors, using the malt grain to give the milk chocolate a malted chocolate profile, and the honey in the whiskey lightens up the peanut butter notes, giving this pairing a decidedly more elevated bakery flavor profile.
Sometimes you have to put a new face on an already killer candy. Wolves Whiskey may not be from the Lone Star State, but this is a pairing that definitely evokes Texas Chainsaw Massacre in that regard. Oh, and it helps that each of its bottles is wrapped by hand in Italian sheepskin leather.
2. Preservation Distillery Very Olde St. Nick 20-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 59.1%
Average Price: $1,400
Why It Works:
It might give you a fright to pair such an expensive bourbon with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but sometimes the best deserves the best, and this bottle is definitely one of the best bourbons of the year —hell, it’s one of the best bourbons of the last several years. The mature oak, candied walnut, and dusty leather notes in this bourbon bring a luxurious richness to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that transforms them from a flashy supercar to a smooth-cruising grand tourer.
Plus, it’s only right that two components with a cult-like following meet. This is a killer crossover of Freddy vs. Jason proportions.
1. Wild Turkey: Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $38
Why It Works:
This whiskey pairing takes the same idea as the Preservation one above, but uses a more accessible and affordable bourbon. Rather than getting lost in how delicious the bourbon is (and believe me, it’s a damn tasty one), this pairing keeps the liquid and the candy on equal footing, with Russell’s Reserve bringing a bit of dusty leather and mature oak to the party while keeping out any unwanted elements like a harsh bite or an unpleasant finish.
This is a pairing for the ages —one you’ll want to celebrate with your family —that’ll set the haters ablaze with envy. Long story short, it’s sinfully good.