Evan Williams “Black Label” Bourbon is the main offering in the Evan Williams family of bourbons. The label prominently displays “Kentucky’s 1st Distiller,” with the company stating that the bourbon is “named after Evan Williams, who opened Kentucky’s First Distillery along the banks of the Ohio River in 1783, it’s aged far longer than required by law.” Because the bourbon is labeled straight and does not carry an age statement, by law that means that it was aged for at least 4 years.

While not officially called Evan Williams “Black Label” Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon is often referred to as “Black Label.” A number of factors contributed to this, including its generic “Evan Williams Bourbon” name that lacks a more identifiable nomenclature, such as Single Barrel, Bottled-in-Bond, or an alternative. Additionally, Evan Williams used to have a similar 80 proof option with a green label, that has been referred to similarly as “Green Label.”

Light scents of orange zest waft to the top. Behind these are lighter, more traditional scents of oak, vanilla, and caramel. Overall the nose affords a fine opening, however, the scents are so incredibly light that it’s hard to actually enjoy them for what they are.

Chalky vanilla, lightly charred oak, and light caramel open the sip. Following quickly behind are flavors of muddled orange rind coated in brown sugar. In tow is a slight rye spice. It’s a perfectly acceptable midpoint for the sip and helps to bring the bourbon past its weaker opening.

A gentle rye spice kicks off the finish and slowly expands over the course of a few seconds. In addition to the initial spice, charred oak and leather make a quick appearance before handing the reins back over to the warming spice. This spice lingers for a surprisingly lengthy amount of time considering that the whiskey only clocks in at 86 proof. It’s a nice touch that combined with the palate allows Evan Williams to end on a high note compared to how it started off.