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Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon Whiskey 750mL

He’s alive, I mean Justice is alive. He contacted us through secure channels of a dolphin echolocation protocol late last night with the single phrase “I love scotch.” I’m sure that means he’ll return shortly talking about the beauty that is scotch whisky. Until then we’re stuck reviewing a bourbon, and not one we enjoy either.

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Where should I begin with this review of Evan Williams? Well when I was young boy growing up in the south among my Buffalo kin we were told stories of men who’d sit on the porch too numb to interact with the world outside of a slur. They drank whiskey that could shine shoes and take the paint off of cars. It’s said that moonshine and whiskies like this have gone away in recent times replaced with better tasting stuff. Thank the gods Evan Williams is keeping that old spirit alive, as much as it can.

Seriously this really isn’t the best tasting stuff in the world. I’m not a huge fan of Jack Daniels Black Label, but I put that higher than this. As you know we’re huge fans of Ezra Brooks for it’s taste and value, but not it’s rarity. We figured why not try this stuff which is about the same price. That was a mistake. The only saving grace here is that this mixes slightly above-par into a whiskey sour or w/ coke. We really don’t have much else to say about.

They themselves have quite a lot to say on their bottle, unfortunately it’s a load of crap.

What they say: “Kentucky’s 1st distiller. Since 1783. Evan Williams set up his distillery on the banks of the Ohio River in 1783 and is historically recognized as Kentucky’s First Distiller of Bourbon. This special Bourbon is a genuine Sour Mash that honors his pioneering heritage. Extra smooth sour mash. Distilled from a time-honored formula originated in 1783, Evan Williams is produced in the heart of Kentucky’s Bourbon country. This Bourbon is aged for a smoother, more complex flavor – world-renowned by Bourbon lovers. Not all Bourbons are created equal. Evan Williams is aged to taste smoother. One sip and you’ll understand why this aging was worth every minute”

 

Taste: 5 – Sharp whiskey taste, but middle of road here in terms of bourbon

Aftertaste: 3.67 – No warmness and it’s a really watery taste, the aftertaste is really just disappointing.

Burn/Smooth: 4.167 – Burns like a sub-par whiskey.

Aroma: 5 – Smells like how you’d expect whiskey to taste.

Honesty: 4.33 – It has some wank and it really had no grounds to make it’s claims. The bottle looks like a Kentucky whiskey but that’s standard.

Mixability: 6

Whiskey & Coke: 6 – Makes a fairly decent whiskey and coke,

Buffalo Note: As well makes a decent whiskey sour

Value: 5.5 – Okay in terms of pricing but even though it’s 13 you feel like you’re spending too much.

Google Shop Average: $13

Website: http://www.evanwilliams.com/

 

Reviewer Scores:

William Henri Neve the IV: 4.5

BuffaloJern: 5

DJ_Lvl: 4.5

Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.

Metric Score: 33.67/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.81 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.67

New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.

 

Final Thoughts:

This is sub-par. Even if I didn’t know Ezra Brooks existed at a cheaper price than this I’d never buy it and I’d step up and pay a little more. If you’re looking for whiskey brand whiskey that is mostly disappointing and cheap than sure you can by Evan Williams, but then what kind of person have you become?

 

BuffaloJern

I am the Buffalo editor and curator of Honest Booze Reviews

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