LeeEvolved
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
January 6, 2017 (edited January 14, 2018)
I've been in a bourbon/scotch & soda type of mood recently, so it's a great time to open an excellent Christmas present from my Online drinking buddy, Paul. He surprised me this holiday season with the ultimate whisk(e)y drinker's care package: a fine single malt scotch (to be reviewed soon) and a highly rated American bourbon: Evan Williams 2006 Vintage Single Barrel. Let's get into this bottle of bourbon and see what's what...
First off, I poured a tasting dram and mixed myself a nice high ball with Coca Cola. I'm gonna let the dram breathe so let's evaluate the B&C first. Now, truth be told, I'm a 2/3 whisky to 1/3 cola type of fella. None of this 1.5oz jigger/5-6oz Coke BS. The cola tempers the bourbon, NOT the bourbon flavors the soda. It's a tasty cocktail for sure. I usually enjoy Beam & Coke when I drink like this...well, EW may just take have changed that for me. There's quite a bit more bite with the Evan W and I like it.
Now for the neat experience: the nose is predominately corn but with the oak announcing its arrival right quick. There's no burn on the nose at all. Probably because it's a decade old. That's impressive for a bourbon IMO. The tongue is hit hard with raw oak and only tempered by the sweet, candied corn. It's immensely "crushable", especially at just under 87 proof. I could see myself sipping this neat when I'm in the mood for bourbon, while really enjoying it as a mixer. It's the definition of solid.
Thanks to my bro Paul. Thanks for thinking of me around the holidays and giving me a present I truly appreciate and really enjoy. I owe you one or two. Cheers, my friend. You rock.
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It used to be 10 years old, but subsequent releases get younger and younger. The latest release was less than 9yo, I believe.
Always, Pranay, but you might not like it here in Florida. It got up to 80 F yesterday. We're getting ready for a real cold snap (in the 50's) but it will be back in the 80's by end of next week.
@Erogers: "madmen" like culture. Are you accepting resumes? 😀
Great review as great bourbon. I'm working through a bottle of this at the office (yeah, we have kind of a Mad Men culture, so it's okay). Stellar stuff and great to share with colleagues, even if some of them dilute it with ice!
This has to be one of the best values on the market - it's so consistently good, and it's so cheap...under $30 by me, and often under $25 if you catch a sale. Cheers!
Great review. I didn't realize this was 10 years old. In my limited bourbon experience, I found that bourbon has that sweet spot between 8-12 years. Beyond that, I find it too oaky (but I"m sure some people specifically look for that). I recently had the Eagle Rare 17, and I simply thought it was a few years of too much wood contact.