Posted on October 18, 2007 - by Nic

Evan Williams Single Barrel 1994/Green Label | Ratings 35/71

To steal a line from Doug Moreland, when trying to answer the question “What did you think of the ‘only vintage bourbon’ being made?” I have to say “well let me see, let me think…” Here’s the thing: this is not a bad bourbon. In fact it is pretty good. But for all of the fuss they make about it being a vintage bourbon, you would think it would sing a song and dance with you.

Packaging: This is part of the problem. Don’t create a bunch of fancy packaging unless you are going to blow my doors off. For example, Louis XIII comes in a crystal bottle, and a fancy box. Why? Because it is will pin your fucking ears back with a serious alcohol experience. Evan Williams Single Barrel comes in a special box, is marketed by the year it was made like it was a special bottle of Opus One, and at the end of the day it it pretty good but not any better than Evan Williams’ $8 green label. That is not really a complaint about the Single Barrel as much as it is a compliment to the quality and value of the Green Label.

Taste: Since both bottles taste the same I have combined the reviews into one. These are both on the sweet side. Not nearly the quality of a quality small batch bourbon. You can taste the tannins so to speak. Neither one of these is going to inspire a note to the master distiller telling him how impressive he was. But at the end of the day, this is a good quality sipping whiskey. Faint hints of oak. To me this is every bit as good as the Jack Daniel’s it is trying so hard to emulate. Jack makes much better small batch bourbons than Evan Williams, but the Evan Williams is hands down better for the value than the No. 7 sour mash.
One note to add, make sure you mix this thing with plenty of water or coke or whatever you prefer. The day I was moving out of my house, after watching a Spurs playoff game, a buddy and I arrived back at my empty place. Poured giant glasses of this stuff, took about 3 sips, and promptly passed out. However, when I woke up, I distinctly recall thinking “man I should have put more water in that thing.” Luckily I had not spilled the drink during my sleep and was able to have it for breakfast.

Final Rating: Since I have to take price in to consideration the Evan Williams Green Label get a 71 since it only cost about $8 and the Single Barrel which cost about $25 gets a 35.