Review 182: Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003

Evan Williams releases a heap of single barrel whisky each year. The releases are usually around 10 years of age and this batch is from 2003. My bottle came from barrel number 465. So, I can really make no predictions as to what your bottle may be like, besides bourbony. That's what makes single barrel releases fun though!

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003

Color: Amber +2

ABV: 43.3%

Aroma Neat:
Fresh Vanilla Bean, Molten Caramel/Milk Caramel Squares, Warm Oak, Kettle Corn, Sweet Sumatran Coffee, Sweet Grain Dust, Buttery Toffee (some salt), Birch Beer.

Rich and voluptuous. Certainly more woody and sweet than EW Black Label, but the spirit itself is still present. The coffee note is lovely and my favorite aspect of the nose.


Aroma Water:
White Pepper, Baked Clove Orange, Italian Roast Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Milk Caramel Squares, Malt Barley, Oatmeal Porridge, Corn Flakes.

Ah, there's the whisky. The wood recedes with some water and the whole affair is much more balanced now. Some may miss the sweetness and decadance of the aromas when neat. If that's you, then just don't add water. At 43.3%, this bourbon is quite manageable neat. 
 

Taste Neat:
Oak-Aged Honey, Tannic, Sweet Charcoal, Fireplace Ash, Fresh Caramel, Vanilla Bean, Roasty Chocolate Stout, Cinnamon & Coffee, Fermenting Grain, Communion Wafers.


On the line of being too heavily oaked for my tastes. Undeniably tasty though, if you can make it through the tannins.


Taste Water:
Cola Nut, Bitter Char, Seasoned Oak (tannic), Burnt Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Yeasty Mash, Oily/Buttery.
 
It's a little hard for me to work through the tannins, which didn't recede at all with water. A little bit too rough on the mouthfeel and bitterness. I bet I'd love this whisky at 7 years instead of 10...


Finish:
Chocolate Cola, Heavily Toasted Grains, Burnt Coffee, Malty Bread, Cinnamon, Raisins (slightly).

Toasty, grainy, coffee/cola finish. Pretty drying and tannic.


Conclusion:
Nose changes with water, but is quite good in both scenarios.


Tannic palate which can be a little bit too much.

Cola and strong, bitter coffee through the finish. 

Rating: 82/100


Girlfriend Rating: 83/100

I wish I could give this whisky a higher rating, given the nose. It's still decent whisky, but unfortunately I think this barrel was a little too active. I like my bourbons to run a little lighter on the oak. Still, there is a lot to like in this whisky and each barrel will be different. I wouldn't shy away from EW Single Barrels. They're relatively inexpensive and still decent, unique whiskeis. This one just wasn't my favorite.

Josh