Quick Disclaimer: the 1783 bottle used in this article was provided for review purposes. It was reviewed here.
I thought I was done with these posts, not because I don’t like doing them, but I’d done all of the ones I could think of. Luckily you guys are smarter than I am and when a reader requested I do one on the Evan Williams, I felt like it was time to jump back in on this series. But, seeing as it has been almost two years since I last did one of these posts, I’m thinking a little explanation is in order.
I think that one of the best ways to really learn the differences between bourbons is to compare them head-to-head. That's the theory behind the If You've Had... series. The setup is like this: "If you've had Whiskey A then Whiskey B is..." hotter, spicier, sweeter, more floral, etc. Each section below is written comparing all of the whiskeys in the line-up to one of their peers. So if you've had Whiskey A, but not Whiskeys B through E, then the Whiskey A section will be the most useful to you. You may notice that there are different tasting notes here as compared to the usual reviews. That is because I am literally going from one bourbon to the other and recording my impressions of the difference. This article purely describing the differences between the various bourbons. I try to write this so that there are no value judgments. This way you get to decide based on what you know of Whiskey A if Whiskey B sounds like something you'd want to try.
Tonight we are featuring the Evan Williams family of bourbons. We are looking at the 80 proof Evan Williams Green Label (which, rumor has it, has been discontinued*), the 86 proof Black Label, the new 90 proof 1783 Small Batch, Bottled-in-Bond, and the 2013 vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel. So without further ado, I present the eighth installment of the If You’ve Had… series.
If you've had Evan Williams Green Label, then…
Evan Williams Black Label: is slightly sweeter on the nose. The mouth on Black Label is similar, just a touch spicier. The finishes are basically identical.
Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: is spicier on the nose, showing more cinnamon. Evan Williams 1783 has a thicker mouthfeel and shows more baking spice and caramel. The finish follows and is longer than Green Label.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter on the nose with more baking spice and hints of chocolate. The mouth on Bonded is much spicier, showing more cinnamon, caramel and chocolate. The finish is much warmer.
Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is richer, showing more oak and floral notes. The mouth follows showing more floral and melon notes. The finish is similar in warmth and length but brings the floral and melon notes along.
If you've had Evan Williams Black Label, then…
Evan Williams Green Label: is less sweet and more grain forward on the nose. Green Label has a thinner mouthfeel and is slightly sweeter showing less spice on the mouth. The finishes are virtually identical.
Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: has less cinnamon and more caramel. 1783 also has a floral hint when compared to Black Label. 1783 has a more robust flavor profile showing much more spice and caramel. The finish shows more cinnamon and is longer.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter on the nose showing more vanilla and chocolate. The mouth shows more cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate notes. The finish is longer.
Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is very similar on the nose, showing a few more floral notes. The mouth shows more fruit and floral notes. The finish follows the mouth showing more cinnamon, fruit, and floral notes.
If you've had Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch, then…
Evan Williams Green Label: is more grain-forward on the nose, showing a lot more corn. The mouthfeel is thinner and the flavor is more grain-forward. The finish is shorter.
Evan Williams Black Label: has less of an alcohol burn and shows more dried grain notes on the nose. Black Label has less spicy heat than 1783 but has a more pronounced cinnamon flavor. The mouthfeel is thinner and the finish is shorter.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter, nuttier, and has more cocoa on the nose. Bonded is warmer in the mouth showing more baking spice and chocolate notes. The finish on Bonded is longer.
Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is very similar, though showing more floral notes, on the nose. The mouth on Single Barrel (2013) shows more fruity and floral notes which follows into the finish.
If you've had Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond, then…
Evan Williams Green Label: has much more dried corn on the nose. Green Label has a much thinner mouthfeel and a less concentrated flavor profile. The finish is more gentle and shorter.
Evan Williams Black Label: is very similar, though slightly mintier, on the nose. Black Label has a thinner mouthfeel and a gentler, less concentrated spice to the mouth. The finish is more gentle and is shorter.
Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: shows more floral notes on the nose. 1783 has a thicker mouthfeel and shows more caramel and a pronounced floral note when compared to Bonded. The finish of 1783 is more floral and mintier.
Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is much fruitier and more floral on the nose. Single Barrel (2013) is much fruitier and more floral with more cinnamon on the mouth and that difference follows into the finish.
If you've had Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage), then…
Evan Williams Green Label: shows much more dried corn influence on the nose. Green label is sweeter on the mouth and shows more cinnamon spice and grain influence. The finishes are fairly similar in length and heat.
Evan Williams Black Label: is very similar, showing more vanilla, on the nose. Black Label is sweeter on the mouth, showing more classic bourbon "caramel/vanilla" notes. The mouthfeel on Black Label is thinner and the finish is longer.
Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: is spicier on the nose, showing prominent cinnamon notes. The mouth on 1783 is richer, with a thicker mouthfeel and more concentrated flavor profile. There is more caramel and cinnamon spice on the mouth. The finish is longer.
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond: shows mores cocoa and vanilla on the nose. Bonded is warmer in the mouth, showing more nutty and cocoa notes. The finish is longer and warmer.
Conclusions:
Single Barrel (2013 vintage) really reminds me of an Old Forester Bourbon when compared with the rest of this line-up.
Green Label, Black Label, and Bottled-in-Bond are all very similar, basically differing in how concentrated the flavors are and how long the finish is.
1783 Small Batch is an outlier with a slightly different flavor profile when compared head-to-head with the others. 1783 is more floral whereas the other three are more "stereotypical" caramel/vanilla bourbon notes.
Green Label and Black Label are remarkably similar bourbons with only very slight differences between them. I can see why they could be considered duplicates in the Evan Williams line-up. If Green Label was your go-to before it was discontinued, you shouldn’t notice much difference if you switch to Black Label. Even the price per bottle is only a dollar different. (Current price for Black Label at Binny’s is $13.99 per 750 mL. I bought Green Label from them in December for $12.99 per 750mL.)
*As of the time of writing, I am waiting for confirmation on that fact from Heaven Hill and will update if I hear back from them.
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