Evan Williams 1783 Bourbon (80 Proof)

This one surprised me. It's much better than the 79 Distiller Score would lead you to believe. $15 for a 750ml is a bargain!

Dark sienna color. Banana esters, vanilla, chocolate covered cherries aroma. I've gotten where I really like the aroma of Evan Williams products, love the aroma. Bananas with brown sugar tastes. Very smooth over the tongue. Of the EW brands this is my favorite, followed by BiB and then the black label.

For review #2, I've pulled out an interesting one. Apparently this isn't widely available to all, which is unfortunate. This is one of my all time favorite underdogs. The flavor profile, although it's a tad thin, is amazing for its $12.99 price. Neat, It's got a nice light burn initially but then sweetens out with loads of vanilla. You can suck it down neat with no regrets, or mix with anything and not feel guilty. I would put this against bourbons in the $30-$40 dollar range. Similar to EWSB, but different enough to add to the collection. If anyone knows anything else about this gem, let us know. Not a lot of detailed info online about it. This is one of the better bourbon deals on the market, if it's in your market

A curious bottom-shelfer that's started showing up on Canadian shelves, at a strangely high price (perhaps owing to importation and minimum-pricing legislation). Smell is acetone/paint at first, but underneath there's actually a decent hit of caramel and vanilla. Some barrel-char character. A bit green, leafy. Faint apple. Not a lot of the "grape drink" flavour I generally get from Heaven Hill bourbons. Taste is thin and a bit hot. Initially some peanuts (not unlike the Beam yeast), then a nice vanilla/caramel sweetness. A bit of creeping bitter/soggy wood. Barrel char. A slight bit of fruitiness, creamed corn, and something evocative of a Scotch blend. Not an awful bourbon--it's got a very stereotypically "bourbon" taste profile--but it's thin, and hot, and with some creeping bitterness. I prefer the Evan Williams Black Label; I also prefer their White Label bottled-in-bond. In my local market, the 1783 is more expensive than both of those aforementioned bottles, and thus not even remotely worth the expenditure.

Nice on the nose - sweetened nail polish if you will. Tastes like actual nail polish on the tongue. Good for sterilising blades, but I'd avoid consuming.