Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2007

-2007 stamp @ $27. Single barrel EW has a rich nose and hearty profile on the palate. Finish has moderate heat with some spicy aftertaste. Standard vanillas, caramels, and abundant oak give it a good traditional bourbon character. This is unsurprising considering its heritage and pedigree. Finding such a bourbon under $25 is ALWAYS a good thing, and EWSB is no exception. The 2007 seems to have a reputation, so if you can find that one, all the better. You could easily pay twice as much for a bourbon of this caliber, but why would you? The 2007 has a great bold flavor. Nose: Sour candy apple, small oak, and assorted citrus. On the palate, you get the citrus mango, orange, and lemon peel, then loads of the sour apple. This is the sweet green Jolly Rancher sour apple that almost suggests "I'm an apple-flavored bourbon," yet it's clearly just an ester fruit flavor coming through. There's nothing flavored here, just a fantastic bourbon that stands out as unique. Finish is smooth with little heat and more of that great Jolly Rancher sour apple.

Barrel 503, filled 9/7/2007, bottled 2/29/2016 at 43.3% ABV. Sampled neat. Looks golden straw with light legs in the glass. The aroma is subtle vanilla and gentle sweet grain. On the palate, there's sweet grain, caramel, vanilla oak, and spice. The finish shows more tannins, oak, grassy spice, and a sweet mint tingle. Adding ice weakens this finish. This has been stored unopened for several years after learning in 2022 that HH would not be selling this nationwide. Disappointing. It was much superior to the 2016 vintage I tasted two weeks ago in NC, but would be even better at a higher proof. Still, for the $35 I spent, it's hard to beat as a vintage single barrel.

A good, solid 8/10. If this were 100 proof, they could charge triple and people would go wild.

Rated 8.3 out of 10.