Here, hold my finders fee ($1950) while I post this.
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It's all in the marketing and dependent on the alcoholic.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
Distillery: Heaven Hill
ABV: 50% (100 proof)
Price: $13.99
Evan Williams has functioned in recent years like the opposite of Old Grand-Dad, in the sense that I can scarcely believe you can still regularly find not only the flagship Evan Williams Black Label but the 100 proof White Label for less than $15. That might very well make it the only bottled in bond (at least 4 years, 100 proof) bourbon you can regularly find under the $15 mark, and unsurprisingly that kind of pedigree results in quality. Full disclosure: This particular bottle of Evan Williams we were sampling came from my own home bar, where it’s one of my well bourbon go-to’s.
Both on the nose and the palate, it was immediately clear to all tasters that this was a significantly more assertive, fiery bourbon that most of the other stuff on the table. The nose is pretty classical, with loads of sweet caramel and vanilla, with a touch of roasted peanuts. Toffee sweetness on the palate gives way to hot cinnamon candy, toasted oak and burnt sugar. It’s not exactly “complex,” per se, but it’s strong, classical bourbon that would make a dynamite, highly intoxicating old fashioned without a doubt. Ultimately, I ended up wondering whether the flagship Black Label might have performed even better, as being the only 100 proof bourbon of the field may have left a few tasters shocked by the higher level of alcohol. Regardless, to be able to get a bonded bourbon at all for $15 or less represents an unmatched value. Here’s hoping that Evan Williams never gets more expensive.
I was planning on eating oysters, muscles and shrimp until my blood turned to brine.
www.binnys.com
