July 30, 2024
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Last weekend, Wayne and I each selected a bottle not-yet-opened that we wanted to taste. Wayne selected the Evan Williams 23 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I was very pleased with his choice! We originally tasted this offering on National Bourbon Day, June 14th, and had the opportunity to purchase it at the Evan Williams “A Toast to Bourbon” dinner.
Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
Evan Williams 23 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mashbill – 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
Age – 23 Years
Proof – 107
Price Paid – $399.99 (plus tax)
Color – Dark copper with very nice legs on the glass.
Aroma – Deep and dark come to mind first, including dark chocolate. Spice and honey blend in an inviting way. It is evident this is an older bourbon based on the aged oak notes. But then the sweetness surprises you with vanilla, marshmallow, and crème brûlée. Allspice, nutmeg, and leather add another dimension. What a nose!
Tasted Neat – Similar to the nose, the tannins from the wood come forward to start, but the sweetness will not be denied. There is vanilla cream, sweet corn, rich cherry, and a lovely honey. Next, rich notes of dark chocolate, toasted nuts, and marshmallow are present. Finally, warm leather, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon let you know this bourbon has some great barrel influence.
Finish – There is a medium length finish. The finish includes sweet notes such as toffee, the richness of dark chocolate, some dryness from the tannins including oak, licorice, tobacco, and orange peels, plus a bit of black pepper.
Tasted with dried cranberry – The sweetness of the dried cranberry created a strong oak presence with leather and the finish was greatly reduced.
Tasted with a pecan – This brought the dark chocolate front and center with a hint of cinnamon and tobacco. Again, the finish is very short.
Tasted with dark chocolate – The chocolate actually removed the dark chocolate notes and replaced it with mostly a light cinnamon without a lot of taste and virtually no finish.
Discussion and Final Notes
We definitely preferred drinking this neat. The pecan wasn’t bad and this might be good with a steak or perhaps a nice cigar. But when having a bourbon of this maturity, we will savor and enjoy it neat and on its own.
Obviously, this is an expensive bottle of bourbon. There are not a lot of bourbons offered at 23 years and even fewer that have such an inviting nose, amazing journey on the palate, and a great finish. Given the price of some 20+ year bourbons, we find this to be of good value. While this would not be an “every-day-drinker,” we are thrilled to have it and will enjoy it whenever we feel the desire to dive into some extra age and complexity. With the warm notes from the barrel, we plan to enjoy this once the weather gets cooler. It could be that perfect pour to sink into on a cold night.
Cheers,
Rebecca & Wayne
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Spirit Requirements
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Such whiskeys have all the requirements of bourbon: Made in the U.S, distilled at <= 160 proof, barreled at <= 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak containers, bottled at >= 80 proof. Straight bourbon means it is aged at least 2 years (and must have an age statement if less than 4). In addition, to be Kentucky Straight Bourbon, it has the additional requirement that it must be produced and aged at least 1 year in the state of Kentucky.
For additional information on bourbon requirements, please read this post – Bourbon Whiskey.
NOTE: The bourbon in this review was purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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