Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
When I decided to really go full-bore into the bourbon/whiskey lifestyle, I started listening to Bourbon Pursuit, a growing podcast that soon became “the official podcast of bourbon”. Kenny and Ryan were great, and they soon added Fred Minnick, a superstar bourbon journalist, and all-around bourbon expert. I still listen to them and while it’s become a bit more commercial than it used to be, there’s still rarely an episode on which I don’t learn something.
I started supporting Bourbon Pursuit on Patreon, too - first to get access to the barrel picks they were putting out, and second to support what I think is a great podcast. As part of that, I won a monthly giveaway in November 2019: a pack of 11 bottled-in-bond bourbon samples, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond included.
Evan Williams is put out by Heaven Hill as their value brand. It’s around 4 years old (but non-age-stated), and the regular 86 proof “black label” could be mistaken for Jack Daniel’s No. 7 or several other similarly-branded labels. Heaven Hill does have a leg up on the competition, however: they’re the only company that has a product for every part of the classifications of whiskey in US law, and - as a privately owned company - they do not serve shareholders. This allows them to keep prices low (see: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, for one) while putting out high-quality products up and down the line.
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond: Specs
Classification: Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: NAS (4+ Years Old)
Location: KY
Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Price: $15
Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond: Tasting Notes
Eye: Medium gold. Thin rim and syrupy legs.
Nose: Cocoa powder, some caramel, but ultimately a very tight nose.
Palate: Astringent and hot with a little caramel…not much flavor here for me, Oaky, maybe even a little bitter. Mouthfeel is the same.
Finish: Finish is the same. Clearly not my cup of tea.
Overall: This won’t be my house bottled-in-bond bourbon for sure.
Final Rating: 4.0
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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