I've been very curious about this brand update since I first heard about it. Got the bottle a week or so ago and so far I've enjoyed a couple of Boulevardiers using this. This is my first examination of the expression neat. Sampled from a glencairn after a few minutes rest. The nose immediately hits me with a familiar though faint note. I struggled for a bit to define it. It was cola, but with cherry notes. Almost a cherry coke, but too faint. Then it hit me; a dried up glass of Dr. Pepper! There's caramelized sugar, light vanilla, faint oak and just a ghost of barrel char. The nose is pleasant enough. I compared this dram to Ezra Brooks bourbon, which is about the same price and proof. The EB is flowery, much lighter on the nose. Both are sweet, but I'll give the win to the EW. On the palate the 1783 shows less sweet than the nose implies. There's a sharp bit of dry oak and light ginger right up front which quickly evolves into cinnamon , cola, white pepper, and buttered biscuit. The finish is short, warming and unremarkable. There is a very slight bitter barrel note and some red hots left as a trace when all is said and done. This isn't bad, but it's just not aligned with my preference as much as its bigger brother Evan Williams Single Barrel is. Of course this is half the price of that already remarkably inexpensive whiskey. The EB is thinner and more watery that the Evan Williams 1783, but it is a bit sweeter and lighter. Both are balanced for their profile and I'd think that someone who doesn't like a strong whiskey would enjoy the EB while someone who's been drinking a bourbon mixer regularly might gravitate towards the richer and bolder 1783. This is a very good whiskey at $18 for a 750ml. It makes a fine Boulevardier and I think it would be all of that and a bag of chips in a sour, collins or highball. I don't think it has what it takes to stand in a Manhattan, but if your preferences run towards candybar richness I think this might be interesting in an Old Fashioned. Overall this is better than its 80 proof predecessor but not incredibly so. It's getting the same rating from me as I think its slightly "above average" but it's not something I'll pine for. If I could give it a 2.9 star rating I might, but this isn't as good as Elijah Craig Small Batch in my book.