Evan Williams Black Label

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Evan Williams Black Label is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon aged for four to five years in new charred oak barrels for this standard bottling and bottled at 86 proof, or 43%. This exceeds the mandatory minimum maturation of two years for Straight Bourbon. Its grain recipe consists of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley. Vanilla, caramel and brown sugar combine with oak and mint.

The 0.7-litre version contains 43% alcohol, is chill-filtered and has no added colouring. At 86 proof, it differs from Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond, which is bottled at 100 proof, or 50%.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is light, with a pronounced vanilla note and mint. Subtle impressions of caramel, oak and orange peel accompany them.
• Palate: A chalky vanilla note, lightly charred oak and subtle caramel open the palate. Crushed orange peel with brown sugar and a gentle rye spice quickly follow.
• Finish: The finish is medium-long to long. A gentle rye spice builds over several seconds. Charred oak and leather briefly join in before the warming spice returns to lead the finish and lingers.

Distillery/Bottler:

The name commemorates Evan Williams, who opened an early commercial distillery in Kentucky on the Ohio River in 1783. Heaven Hill produces today's bourbon, which is bottled in Bardstown. Family-run since 1935, the company was co-founded by the Shapira brothers; Bardstown also remains an important location for maturation.

Since its acquisition in 1999, the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville has been a central production site for Heaven Hill. Following the fire at the original Bardstown distillery in 1996, the company returned to distilling in Bardstown in April 2025 with the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. For fermentation, Heaven Hill uses its own yeast strain, preserved since the company's founding. Distillation takes place in column stills, followed by a second distillation. The whiskey matures in warehouses without climate control, exposed to Kentucky's seasonal temperature changes; whiskeys from different warehouse positions are married to maintain consistent brand profiles.

Facts: