Evan Williams 1783 Bourbon (80 Proof)

As I was writing another review, I realized that I had not reviewed EW 1783. Being picky I must note it's 90 proof. Three of us get together every Wednesday evening and have a bourbon rotating houses. Some times there is something new but at one house there is always EW 1783. This stuff is available everywhere, is inexpensive and beats the pants off lots of the boutique stuff hitting the market at three times the price. Yeah it's Heaven Hill basic but that's not a bad thing. I liken it to baby Elijah Craig. There's a big dollop of butterscotch in the lead sweet with candy corn a layer down. Not much further down as this is not terribly complex. 90 proof is perfect to give nose and flavor but keep the alcohol in the background. I absolutely love the palate, it's got all the flavors of cracker jacks. Candied caramel corn with peanuts that keeps you coming back. The finish is a bit abrupt but you can't have everything. I admit to being biased toward Heaven Hill and you should temper the review accordingly. This is rarely in my liquor cabinet but two or three or its cousins are.

Honey orange color, not overly leggy. The first whiff is wood lacquer, with a sawdust bite in the nostril. Pool chlorine. Fennel, pumpernickel rye, caraway seeds. Some black pepper spices with a saline/salty balance. Toasted molasses. Elmer's glue. The taste is classic Kentucky bourbon at first: finished oak, peanut, corn syrup. This is followed up by a distinct sourdough bread/yeast component that I'm guessing is part and parcel its sour mash process. If you let it swish around a bit, caramel battles it out with some peppery rye-like business. The finish is black pepper and seeded rye bread. Toffee and caramel. More of that sourdough yeast. Dried brown leaves. At the end there is a distinct tannic pucker that adds a dynamic quality to the finish. This is a super affordable, very pleasant and versatile Kentucky bourbon that works best, on the rocks, or in your favorite bourbon cocktail. It's spicy, woody and sweet, with a nice dry, tannic finish.

It's actually 86 proof and not 80 as this database states. Well, the extra 3% ABV feels more like 15% in terms of the smoothness. Even if the smell is nice bourbon-ish and woody with hint of alcohol (above common expectation), the first sip and the first taste is rough, oaky as fuck. Then I can feel sweet corn, probably only taste benefit of acclaimed "sour mash". I'm trying to dig some more on taste profile, other than overall sting and tangy taste, maybe fining hints of cinnamon, but that's all. 1783 "small batch" is more like party bourbon - you can spice some punch with it, mix it with a little bit of Coke, give some kick to your eggnog. I like that in it. But this is definitely not sipping material, if you're wandering (as I was before).

I accidentally deleted this tasting but Im pretty sure i was basically saying that this bottle is boring and looks to be a trap. A random year. A meaningless "small batch" label. A generic shaped bottle. But the juice is actually pretty solid. Checks all the common core bourbon flavor boxes, just dont bring the bottle into the bathroom with you. Theres nothing to read.

I didn’t taste too much of a difference between this and the white table 100 proof if it’s a tad watered down. It’s a budget brand all around. So, if this is their best you’re probably better off with two bottles of the lower tier. That way it lasts longer. You can sip it, mix it, throw it on some rocks and still have a good evening. Grab a cigar and relax.

Evan Williams 1783 sweet caramel vanilla sugar smooth banana in the finish Ice cube opened up wine on the tongue I’ll have to revisit because I was a rookie when I tried this. The date of this review goes back a few years. I just posted it now. I do remember this was solid but still a little youthful.