I came across this lonely store select Evan William Single Barrel and decided to give it a try. It had been sitting there awhile collecting dust. The beverage manager told me that they have had it in inventory since 2008. Distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2008, it's a ten year expression of some nice single barrel bourbon.
So when looking at this bottle I did a bit of research. People often characterize the few years after 1996 as the "wilderness years" at Heaven Hill Distillery as they had a fire in November 1996 that destroyed almost their entire facility and aging stock. For years Heaven Hill had their whiskey distilled by other producers such as Brown Forman and Jim Beam. In 1999 they purchased Bernheim distillery and that facility is where all of the distilling now occurs. My bottle states that it was distilled in Kentucky and bottled by Evan Williams.
A lot of people said that they didn't enjoy the single barrel selections produced in these years. I'm going to put this one down to a great selection by the folks at Beverage Plus, but I really enjoyed it. If it was 2-3 times more expensive I might have a problem, but this is a real solid bourbon for the price charged.
The color is a medium amber.
The nose is rich and full, with notes of caramel, wood, nutmeg/clove and vanilla creme.
The palate is medium weight, with caramel notes, rich woody/oak notes, a smoothness, light tobacco notes, vanilla and some earthiness. Has some earth and caramel that marries the flavors of Elmer T Lee and Rock Hill Farms, sort of like a junior Blantons.
The finish isn't overly long, with smooth vanilla, sweetness and an edge of wood.
I like the Evan Williams products in general (especially their 100 proof bottled in bond bourbon) and this is a steal in ten year, single barrel bourbon. You might need to try a bottle of something barreled in the late 1990's to see if it's for you, but these guys really chose an excellent barrel.
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