Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Review

Evan Williams
Bottled-In-Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distilled and Bottled at the Old Evan Williams Distillery
DSP KY-1, DSP KY-31 (Heaven Hill)
Age: 4 Years
Proof: 100
Review
(Revised June 2023)

Please enjoy our Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Review!

So who was Evan Williams?

Evan Williams Bourbon is the second best selling bourbon in the US and the world. How about that?! But do you know why Heaven Hill named this line of bourbons after Evan Williams? He actually had nothing to do with Heaven Hill, or this bourbon. So who was he? Well, Evan Williams was born in Wales in 1755 and emigrated to the US in 1780. In 1783, he founded Kentucky’s first commercial distillery and therefore was Kentucky’s first licensed distiller. So this line of bourbons is named in his honor.

Mash Bill

All Evan Williams bourbons are made from Heaven Hill’s standard bourbon mash bill: 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley, and they are aged in char level 3 barrels. This is also the same mash bill and barrels used for JW Dant and JTS Brown Bottled-In-Bond Bourbons, two other value Bottled-In-Bond bourbons that I have reviewed, as they are also made by Heaven Hill.

The Evan Williams Bourbon Line

In addition to Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond, the other Evan Williams Bourbons are: Evan Williams Bourbon 86 proof (Black Label), Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch (90 proof), Evan Williams Single Barrel, a few flavored bourbons, a cider and an Egg Nog. There are also a few other bourbons that may be available in the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience gift shop, such as Evan Williams 23 Years Old and Evan Williams Red Label (101 proof, 12 years old). Evan Williams Green Label (80 proof) may be available regionally. That’s a pretty large bourbon line up!

Tasting Notes – Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

? Rested for 20 minutes in a Glencairn

??Nose: Sweet hot cinnamon, like Dentyne Gum; caramel, vanilla, rye spices, brown sugar, light raspberry jam, with moderate to high alcohol
??Taste: Dentyne gum, cinnamon toothpick, simple syrup sweetness, brown sugar, caramel, char, oak, jam
??Finish: Some sweetness remains, but a fair amount of spice from hot cinnamon and white pepper rapidly develops and grows; there’s some char, too; a dry woodiness from the cinnamon toothpick becomes more evident later; long finish with a moderate alcohol burn; raspberry jam and some sweetness linger on

Classic bourbon flavors with a little extra cinnamon

Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon has the classic bourbon flavors, although with a fair amount of sweetness and a cinnamon dominance. It’s funny that as the years have gone by, this bourbon has become cinnamon forward to me. It starts with a Dentyne Gum like cinnamon and become a woody cinnamon in the finish, like the toothpicks we used to have in our mouths when we were kids. Or at least I did.

Summary

I’m not sure if the flavors have changed since I last reviewed Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon, or if it is me. The price has absolutely changed, though. When I initially reviewed this bourbon it was $15 in Kentucky. Now it is around $20 or more. Even so, it is still a great value and worth having on my bar, and I would argue, on anyone’s bar. Have you tried Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon? Do you feel, like I do, that the flavors have changed a bit over the years? Let me know. Cheers!?

We hope you have enjoyed our Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Review! Would you like to read about another Evan Williams bourbon? Check out our Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Square 6 Wheated Bourbon Review, Evan Williams Bourbon Review and our Evan Williams 1783 Bourbon Review!

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