Skymecca
Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
October 2, 2020 (edited October 6, 2021)
I saw this Evan Williams BiB in a Safeway for $14.99 and had to grab it, considering I'd read many a glowing review about how it will become the next impossible-to-find bottle like Henry McKenna 10 soon. Spoiler alert - it won't.
The nose smells like wet peanut shells and there is a lot of oak and barrel tannins. It is actually pretty thin on the palate and some brown sugar joins the peanut shells. Finish is pretty short with similar notes.
This is what it appears to be: a bottom shelf, sturdy mixer for cocktails when you have guests. It certainly isn't something I would want to drink neat if I had alternatives.
If it sounds like I'm being particularly hard on a $15 bottom shelf offering - you're right. But it's all about expectations. People pleasantly surprised that an inexpensive bourbon from the supermarket is actually pretty decent have blown this thing out of proportion, setting my expectations higher than this bottle could reasonably be expected to meet. Kind of a funny push and pull effect.
15.0
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@Ancient33w I tried this again today and it has improved! Thanks for the advice!
I completely agree @Skymecca that WT 101 is the bourbon find for under $20. The only thing that competes at that price is Elijah Craig Small Batch, which I can get for just under $20 if I buy it in a handle. PS great tasting notes on this one :)
Oxygen, as @Ancient33w suggested, works wonders on this. I rated it pretty much where you did, but I was prepared to give it a bump of .75 or maybe even a full point with sufficient oxidation. "Sufficient" here means a LOT of oxygen though. I wouldn't expect it to improve enough in the bottle in under a year based on my (limited) experience and I'd put my money on closer to 2 years.
I do have about 2/3 left and will re-visit as you said. If it turns out to improve and be a complete steal at $15 no one would be happier than me! The only whisky I've found that delivers a great experience in the <$20 price realm so far is Wild Turkey 101.
Sorry this didn't meet your expectations if you have any left let it sit in the bottle for a time and then try it again. I have done that with some spirits I didn't like at first and the oxidization improves the flavor.