Evan Williams Black Label

It sure smells like your usual bourbon or Tennessee whiskey. Wood, vanilla, and a little caramel hit the nose. It isn't an interesting nose, but it isn't a bad one either. The palate is on the mild side, but there is sufficient sweetness that is offset by plenty of oak. There's some expected tartness, but the whole thing isn't overly aggressive. It's full of vanilla and is mellow with just a little spice. It's on the sweet side, but how bad is that? There are some notes of apple that add a nice fruitiness and balance the (plentiful) floral notes. It avoids that gross Irish whiskey flavor, though it does have a hint of it. This is a remarkably good whiskey for the price. The molasses flavor makes the sweetness taste a bit more rounded without being cloying. There is some nice smoke flavor in here. It's a remarkably solid bourbon to begin with. It is, unfortunately, a lot weaker and noticably sweeter than most Bourbons out there. That said, it carries it's smoke and bitterness with some tartness and apple throughout, so it never tastes entirely bad, even when it does taste weak. It isn't on par with the really good bourbons, but for the price this is an excellent choice. There are some tart grainy notes mixed with wood, vanilla, cinnamon, some butterscotch, some other floral elements, and a lot of sweetness, possibly including hints of cane sugar. It's a solid mixer, but it isn't a great sipper. This is absolutely on the sweet side with a clear caramel sweetness followed by some wood in your face and some bittersweet chocolate. It might be a little over-oaked, but it still has a clean flavor. It tastes a bit young, but it isn't bad. It wouldn't be a first choice, but it could be drunk. That sweet, young flavor is it's downfall. The almond flavor is nice, but it's lacking a good fruity flavor. There's something sickly cherry about the young flavor unfortunately. This is probabaly a little bit better than High West American Prarie Reserve, but it's not as good a Jim Beam Black. There's a fair bit of stuff going on, but it lands on the sweet and light side. The barrel spice gives it a nice fiery bourbon kick that pairs well with the grainy rye clean flavor.