Evan Williams Black Label

EW black label and I go back a little ways. For quite a few years now it has been my cheap bourbon of choice for a number of reasons but ill keep it short. 1) Lets face it, its cheap! In an era where bourbon prices are increasing dramatically, we can all appreciate the $15 or so price tag attached to this bottle. For $15 or less it is VERY difficult to beat EW Black. 2) Is it the best tasting whiskey? Of course not, its not even really a great whiskey if we are being honest here but thats not the point. Its a great mixer at a great price, that depending on your pallet can be tolerable neat or on rocks. Taste: I myself get a very pronounced spice taste with subtle vanilla, nut, and oak flavors as well. There is a noticeable but not overwhelming ethanol/alcohol taste accompanying it as well. Conclusion: For the price its hard to beat, its a perfect mixer and honestly just a solid choice if you’re on a budget. If you compare it to $30-$50 whiskeys you will be disappointed, but if you compare it to those in its price range, you will not be disappointed.

A friend of mine bartends private events as a side gig and presented an unopened handle of this swill stating that "she knows I like whiskey". You know those moments when you know better? Like... you know you shouldn't drink this stuff.... but how hell can someone turn down 1.75 L of free booze, even if it is seemingly terrible? Even more so when the friend offering it to you is insanely attractive? ( Hey, what can I say? Sex sells. ) It can't be THAT bad, right? The nose is kind of funky on this. I smell caramel, apples, some peanuts and a little vanilla. The nose is very light, so breathe deep ( if you actually WANT to smell it ). The opening has a weird, powdery mouth feel with vanilla, burnt oak, ethanol and rye. It hits all at once, so don't look too hard for the complexity. The finish carries the rye spice and with it: drier tastes like leather. It's a somewhat long lasting albeit a very simple finish. I don't know...for this price point I thought I'd be spitting this stuff out. But it's not undrinkable. I'd happily accept a pour if I was already pretty drunk and couldn't make out one taste from another anyway. For this price you can do a LOT worse.

Caramel, vanilla, sweet, medium bodied palate, pretty decent

For $15 a bottle, it could be so much worse