EVAN WILLIAMS BLACK LABEL 1000ML

EVAN WILLIAMS BLACK LABEL 1000ML

Evan Williams bourbon is produced by Heaven Hill at their Bernheim distillery in Louisville, KY, and is by volume sales Heaven Hill’s most popular bourbon brand.  In fact, according to Spirits Business, Evan Williams was the 7th highest selling whiskey in the world in 2017, and 2nd highest selling bourbon brand (behind Jim Beam).

The brand’s name commemorates the 18th century Welsh immigrant Evan Williams who was allegedly the first man to start a commercial distillery in what became the Commonwealth of Kentucky when he started distilling on the shore of the Ohio River in 1783.  Today, a landmark stands in Louisville marking a spot near where his distillery was said to have been.

The Evan Williams brand contains a number of different expressions, with the Black Label serving as the flagship.  The brand has expressions spanning every price category, from the very bottom shelf Green Label to rare 12-25 year age stated bottles.  The Black Label is a tier above Green, and can commonly be found near the Bottled in Bond (White Label), 1783, and vintage Single Barrel expressions, which all retail for less than $30.  Each shares the same mash bill not only across the brand, but across all of Heaven Hill’s non-wheated bourbon brands, including Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, Heaven Hill, and Fighting Cock.

Notes:

• Mash of 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
• At least 4 years old (a 7 year age statement was removed in the early 2000’s)
• Bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof)

From the Heaven Hill website:

“Long before the term Small Batch even existed, our Master Distillers were hand-selecting just the right number of barrels to make Elijah Craig. This expertise and attention to detail give Elijah Craig Small Batch the right balance of rich flavor and full body. Each small batch carries a signature warm spice and subtle smoke flavor. A combination that belongs in any Bourbon fan’s regular rotation.”

Elijah Craig Small batch starts off with some dry, grassy, and sweet nuttiness with caramel, cold brew coffee, chocolate, and citrus. This is definitely Heaven Hill bourbon, but it’s not as nutty as I expected. There are some lighter burnt bread and herbal notes with hints of peach, but it’s light to moderate at best. After 35 minutes of resting in the glass, there isn’t much heat either, but that’s to be expected from 47% ABV. It’s a little closed-off but so far so good.

Smell

Swirling brings out this sweet and grassy note – honey, vanilla, dried grass, citrus, eucalyptus, apple, coffee grounds, oak, cinnamon, and just a little something floral. The nuttiness initially fades away, but returns after a minute or two. I like that nutty funk, so I’m not put off by it. The roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, and chocolate provide just enough rich darkness to make it interesting and nice. It actually becomes more concentrated, dark, and interesting as the bourbon dries on the sides of the glass. Overall, it comes together into a decently rich and satisfying, but not quite amazing, nose that I actually like. If I want more, I’ll instead reach for Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

Taste & After Taste

Elijah Craig Small Batch is sweet with caramel and vanilla followed by some nuttiness, citrus, cherry, licorice, oak, cinnamon, and clove. The flavors aren’t big, deep, or complex, but they have some richness and depth without much heat. “Chewing” brings out the sweet caramel and vanilla again followed by oak, grass, citrus, peach, apple, cinnamon, licorice, anise, and some honey roasted peanut butter. This is sweet, dark, and oaky up front followed by fruity, herbal, and nutty undertones. For some reason, I’m not getting much of the vanilla funk that I’ve gotten before with this and with Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, but it is what it is. The mouthfeel is fairly thick as well, an added bonus. This is quintessential bourbon with solid flavors that aren’t light or boring.

Caramel sweetness follows into the finish with some vanilla, oak tannins, coffee grounds, dried citrus peel, and mint. After a minute it fades into sliced apple with lightly dry citrus peel, licorice, and dark chocolate. After “chewing”, the finish is a balanced mix of honey, oak tannins, and mint that eventually ends with light citrus, apple and pear peel, and oak tannins. It’s quite a nice finish to a solid bourbon.