This bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2003 was selected by the Duo of Davids over at K&L back in 2013. I liked it so much after trying it I picked up 3 bottles and have proceeded to kill one bottle per year since. This being my last one I figured National Bourbon Heritage Month was as good a reason as any to open it up and after looking through my collection I realized I had 4 bottles and 3 consecutive years sitting in there so why not do a week of EW SiBV?
In fact, before September rolled around I took a look at everything I had on the shelves and began planning out what I’d be tasting and how I’d roll out the coming weeks. That’s why I stated the month with 2 weeks of Old-Grandad and will be now doing a week and a half of Evan Williams. I won’t ruin the suspense yet for what the last week and a half of the month will be, but I will say this. We’ll be taking a good look at the Heritage side of Bourbon Heritage month.
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2003 Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Heaven Hill
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley
Cask: new charred oak
Age: 10 years (4/15/03 – 11/8/13)
ABV: 43.3%
Barrel: 1072 – Bottled for K&L
Price: $23
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2003 Review
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Wood, caramel heavy dark sweets, cinnamon and clove heavy spice, dark fruit, vanilla, cornbread and an herbal underpinning. The rich complex aroma fills the olfactory and puts a smile on this reviewers face.
PALATE
Complex dark sweets, oak, cinnamon and nutmeg heavy spice, dark fruit, toasted grains and vanilla with a dusty herbal underpinning. A fantastic rich flavor.
FINISH
Long and oaky with nice notes of spice, vanilla, caramel and light herbal notes.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced with a full body and a heavy thick feel.
OVERALL
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2003, barrel 1072, is fantastic. It’s dense, rich and complex throughout. This isn’t just a great example of Evan Williams but a great example of a good complex bourbon. Of course being a single barrel you’d have to somehow find this exact barrel to get this same experience, but I’ve still seen 2003 vintage bottles on the shelves so if you find one, grab it and see how it compares.
SCORE: 90/100
