Evan Williams Single Barrel

Type:Bourbon

Brand:Evan Williams

Year/Specialty:Single Barrel

Cost:$26.00 - $35.00 U.S.

A little History:

Evan Williams immigrated to the U.S. in the 1770’s from Wales, finding himself in Kentucky with a plethora of jobs to do.What I assume happened is that while doing all these jobs (farmer, builder, contractor, etc.) He finally decided with all that corn around, and a great water supply on the Ohio River, that picking up distilling bourbon would be a great business.Exactly when he did this is up to debate with historians, alas one thing that can be agreed upon is that his whiskey stuck and here today we can still enjoy it.I cannot find any information that states that this bourbon has been in continuous making since its creation, and some places state the business really started in 1957, as it is a part of Heavenly Hill’s flagship companies, along with Elijah Craig.

A little Geography:

Louisville Kentucky is not a temperate place.It has sweltering hot summers and bone chilling winters.There are truly four seasons in this state and there for sees a lot of flux in the absorption of the wood within these bourbons. Also, being next to a limestone hotspot makes the ability to find clear water an added plus to the already great bourbon aging conditions.Being part of Heavenly Hill’s companies, it is made and stored in the same areas as their other companies, just with a different mash bill and barreling.

A little Science:

As with all bourbons, Even Williams is made with corn (at least 51% of mash bill), aged in new charred oak barrels, is made in the US, cannot be above 160 proof (80% ABV) at fermentation, and is barreled at or less than 125 proof (62.5% ABV).Because this is considered “strait bourbon” it entails the sour mash method of backset.This means that a small amount of the used mash from a previous batch is put into the current one, along with yeast to start the fermentation process.What makes this whiskey different than your average bottle is that it comes from one specific barrel.Where your average bourbon will be a mix of barrels to fit a very particular taste profile, decided by the master distiller and few others before they are dumped, mixed, then sent to bottling.A single barrel expression is one that must be constantly monitored to get a very particular flavor profile, as there will be no coupling of others to mellow or heighten it.Typically single barrel expressions are carefully selected for maturation, as they are one of the finest expressions coming from a distillery. The Barrel number I had was “89” and was had been aged for just over 8 years before it was bottled.

Let’s take a drink:

First you see a bright caramel color, indicative of a mid-level char on the barrel, but is deceiving of its age.The smell is also light, but sweet as most bourbons are, and has very little burn to it.Unlike the color and smell, the taste is very rich, with a light touch on the tip of the tongue and a medium oak finish on the back.On the palate you get very little burn and a subtle hint of leather with a medium aftertaste.Although this will be barrel by barrel, this in my eyes is a very good bourbon.

Who may like this drink:

You are looking for something unique but familiar, something that distinguishes itself as higher quality but will not break the bank to have.

Who may not like this drink:

You enjoy the flavor of a bourbon that will be standardized along all bottles, with little variation.

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References:

Bardstown Whiskey Society (2016). Evan Williams Single Barrel. Retrieved from http://www.bardstownwhiskeysociety.com/brands/evan...

Evan Williams (2016). Heritage. Retrieved from http://evanwilliams.com/heritage.php

Heavenly Hill Brands (2016).Evan Williams Single Barrel. Retrieved from http://www.heavenhill.com/brand/13

Liquor.com (2016). Evan Williams Bourbon. Retrieved from http://www.liquor.com/brands/evan-williams/#gs.__i...

Wikipedia (2016). Evan Williams (Whiskey). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Williams_(whiskey)