EVAN WILLIAMS KENTUKY STRAIGHT BOURBON 23 YEARS 750ml

Evan Williams 23 Year Old Bourbon is exceptional bourbon. This expression is the cousin of Elijah Craig 23 Year Old, as both come from the Heaven Hill Distillery, both are aged for 23 years, and both share the same mashbill. Unlike the nose and palate, the finish shows just how long this bourbon has spent in the barrel. Father time is evident as the sweetness found earlier is replaced by drier notes. The fiery heat carriers over from the palate and is joined by wood, pepper, and light cherry Halls. The heat lingers with traces of dry leather and tannic wood, making for a longer than necessary finish, and one that doesn’t quite live up to what the nose & palate delivers. Heavy aged oak is immediately noticeable but by no means overpowering. Digging deeper reveals classic scents such as vanilla and caramel, along with scents of marshmallow, creme brulee, and syrup. The nose is surprisingly rich and for such an old bourbon bringing forth a nice mixture of sweet along with oak. Interestingly enough, there is only the faintest hint of ethanol. Evan Williams 23 Year is an oddball in the Evan Williams family line. The next oldest Evan Williams is 12 years version that is only available in the gift shop and overseas, while the current standard available expressions all fall below 10 years of age. To see an expression aged so far from its siblings is unique in and of itself, however being aged to 23 years is where things start to get interesting. There aren't many ongoing releases of 23 year old bourbons out there. In fact there are only three in total, the other two being Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year and Elijah Craig 23 Year. Because bourbon is aged in charred new oak barrels, it’s not meant to be aged for a long time compared to what you might find in a scotch or other whiskeys that utilize pre-used barrels for the aging process. Bourbon aged over 20 years just doesn’t deliver a lot of flavor outside of oak. Additionally, once you get to this age, there just isn’t much bourbon left in the barrel to bottle, and sometimes barrels are completely empty by this point. In tasting Evan Williams 23 Year next to Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year, I found both to have their own traits to appreciate, with Evan Williams delivering heavier notes. However compared to its sibling from the same distillery, I found Evan Williams 23 Year brought about a much more flavorful sip between the two. In both cases I credit this to Evan Williams’ higher proof content. Being bottled at 107 proof makes Evan Williams 23 Year the only 23 year old over 100 proof, which in this case correlates to a more nuanced and flavorful sip.