Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon

The nose greets you with wonderful, rich aromas of vanilla, caramel, and oak. The entry is light, with flavors of bitter oak, caramel, and allspice. The finish is reminiscent of hot cinnamon. However, it tastes watered down and too bitter when compared to Evan Williams Black Label and White Label.

This has a clear, copper appearance. The aroma is of corn, vanilla, and a touch of rye spice. The flavor is of sweet corn, vanilla, some rye spice, and charred oak. It has a medium body and a mostly-dry finish. RJT

Received a blind sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, apples and a hint of nuts. Palate: Some cinnamon and clove, but not as strong as expected. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Splash: Minty clove notes appear that weren't there before. Overall: 8/10 - The nose is the star of the show, but a splash brings out some nice notes.

I poured this neat as I always do with my whisk(e)y. On the nose, I detected caramel, vanilla, some oakiness, and a little bit of green apple. The green apple wasn't prominent at first. Yet, once I smelled it, I was able to single it out and hone in on it. Coming through on the palate was apple, oak, and vanilla. This has a nice full-bodied texture. A second sipping brought forth some of the nuttiness that's generally expected in Heaven Hill products. The finish is lengthy, and the apple and oak are still coming through. Note from my first tasting of EW1783 in 2018: I revisited this one from a few years ago. When I first tasted EW1783 back then, it was extremely bitter, and I tossed out that bottle after a half-dozen shots or so. My palate wasn't as refined back then as it is now, and it's also possible that I had a bad batch years ago. I feel that it was worthwhile to revisit this, but I'm not sure that this is a keeper in my bar. I've had my bottle of this for six month now, and I'm now starting to taste a slight bit of bitter oak. Perhaps oxidation isn't kind to EW1783.

No as much vanilla as id hope for. Very smooth