In recent years there has been a strong drive towards transitioning the transportation fuels market to a sustainable alternative. Biofuels has emerged as one of the solutions and is receiving a great deal of focus in research, industry, and politics. Ethanol is currently the most popular biofuel, but butanol has been acknowledged as a superior alternative in several regards. In this paper, the chemical and physical properties of butanol are compared to ethanol and gasoline. In addition, the feasibility of a butanol-based economy is assessed in terms of available supply, compatibility in spark ignition engines in terms of performance and emissions, and ability to easily transport, store, and dispense the fuel. Life cycle assessments of biobutanol are also reviewed, which ultimately suggest that butanol has the potential to be a sustainable alternative. However, the yield of biobutanol production via ABE fermentation, the primary process currently utilized to produce the fuel, is low. Additional research is required to improve upon the ABE fermentation process, or perhaps to develop and implement an alternative process such as a thermochemical route.