Monday, July 8, 2013

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003


I've never been a huge fan of the Evan Williams Single Barrel series, but I always like to try a new whiskey.  As per usual, this year's release is just shy of ten years old, having been distilled in 2003.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003, Barrel 170, 43.3% abv ($25)

The nose is very grainy with light caramel.  On the palate, it's very corny with just a touch of spice.  The finish is peppery and slightly soapy.  This is a well done bourbon which emphasizes the corn in the mash.  The rye notes are so subtle that it almost has some wheater like qualities.

This is definitely one of the better Evan Williams Single Barrels I've had (and I've had most of them), and the good thing about this release is it's always a good deal and easy to find.

 


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Question: I have a 2003 Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003. The back label states that it was barreled on 4-1-01 (and I presume it was not meant as an April Fool's joke), barrel no. 540, and bottled on June 14, 2013. Does this make it a 2001 Evan Williams, or a 2003 Evan Williams? And it appears to be 12 years, not the 9-10 it generally is touted as being. Also, is it common to round up a few barrels at the end of a production year run, to meet orders? Thanks.

sku said...

Anon, what leads you to say that it was a 2003?

Anonymous said...

The front label says Evan Williams 2003. So my presumption is, that when they were bottling, they attached the label after filling the bottle. What I have no clue about is when, in the process, they attach the back label with the barrel/bottling dates number information. I have purchased over the past several years other editions of Evan Williams Single Barrel, and only found six months or so, on the end side, of being older than 9-10 year range. So, it appears that either the date of barreling was done incorrectly, or if accurate, that the attention goes to the year of bottling in that series. It just struck me as odd, and made me wonder if when a particular year is a success, and they want to keep up that years sales demands, did they go for an older barrel. Thanks for your attention to this question.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering about the same thing. Mine is barrel number 541, 4-1-01, but says 2013 on the front label.