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from the Evan Williams website
750mL bottle
- ~$13
- Purchased from JJ’s Liquor
Background
I went looking for something else. I was looking for completely the wrong thing, as “Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond” was not on my list…it was “Old Fitzgerald Prime” that was on my list. The difference, shall we say, was vast…the Old Fitz BIB has an official retail of about $110, but this store was asking $200. I almost walked out with nothing, but spotted this Bottled-In-Bond expression of Evan Williams and decided that would be a great consolation prize. It wasn’t on my list, but I know the brand, I know the distillery, and the price was on the unbelievable side.
Mr. Evan Williams started distilling in Kentucky on the banks of the Ohio River in 1783 and is recognized as the Bluegrass State’s “first distiller.” His name currently is applied to several Bourbons made in the Heaven Hill distillery in Louisville. The whiskies are mostly aged around Bardstown (a few miles down the road from Louisville), near the Bourbon Heritage Center.
According to Liquor-dot-com’s list, Heaven Hill uses a standard mash bill for all Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, Heaven Hill, and Parker’s Heritage expressions: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley. Choosing what whiskey goes in what bottle comes down to barrel management and the taste of individual barrels.
As with any other BIB whiskey, this Evan Williams BIB is 100 proof (50% ABV), created in a single distillation season at a single distillery, and aged a minimum of 4 years in oak barrels. There is no age statement on the bottle, but the company’s website does simply state “4 years.” One reviewer I glanced at stated it could be 5 year old whiskey, according to someone at the company, but that’s something that really can’t be stated as fact.
Notes
Evan Williams BIB is a medium-amber color not far off of what the Very Old Barton BIB was…maybe just a touch lighter. For a 100 proof whiskey, I got a surprisingly small amount of alcohol vapor when I nosed the glass. When I swirled the whiskey around, I was a little surprised by how fast the legs formed and run down the inside…it was much slower-moving with the VOB. Along with less vapor burn, I also just did not get as much aroma from the glass. Notes of caramel and apple were definitely there, but faint and a little difficult to really latch onto.
Taking a sip brought the alcohol heat out really quickly. There was a pronounced burn on the lips, that proceeded to the tongue and soon enough all the way to the back of the throat. Under that, there was honey and oak, a touch of vanilla and caramel, and just a breath of the apple I noted on the nose.
In practically what was a blind pairing, I lit up a Diesel Whiskey Row to go with this glass of Bourbon. Practically “blind” because although I knew what the cigar was, it was the first time I had ever burned one and I knew very little about it apart from the fact that it was made for General for A.J. Fernandez and has some Bourbon-barrel-aged leaf. Soon enough I’ll delve in for a full review of the cigar.
The cigar started off on the underwhelming side, but in all fairness it had just showed up via UPS about 3 hours previous to me lighting it. That’s why I wait several weeks after they shipped before writing a real review. By midway through, though, the cigar was smoking really nicely and seemed to mellow out some of the hotter aspects of the Evan Williams BIB.
Of the two BIB Bourbons I’ve had so far, the Evan Williams is definitely the lesser, though not by much. It’s really good, but a little hotter than I’d like. That can be tempered by adding some water, of course, but I’d still give the nod to Very Old Barton BIB. Of course, availability will factor in, as well…so Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond is a very good choice for “Bourbon on a Budget.”
