🥃 Evan Williams
Kentucky straight bourbon brand from Heaven Hill, named after Evan Williams, who by the brand's legend opened the first commercial distillery in Louisville in 1783. Black Label 43% ABV, Bottled-in-Bond 50% ABV (100 proof).
Evan Williams is a Kentucky straight bourbon brand from Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, and a familiar name on American bourbon shelves. It is named after Evan Williams, who, according to the brand's legend, opened the first commercial distillery in the state, in Louisville, in 1783. The producer says that Black Label is among the most popular Kentucky bourbons in the world.
History. The brand refers to Evan Williams, who opened a distillery on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville in 1783. This is the story on which the brand is built, not a recipe for today's drink. Heaven Hill now produces the bourbon, and the company calls Black Label the second-best-selling Kentucky straight bourbon in the world. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, a visitor attraction, operates on Whiskey Row in Louisville.
What bourbon is. Under US rules (27 CFR § 5.143), a whiskey is called bourbon if it is made in the United States from a mash containing at least 51% corn, matured in new charred oak casks, and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. The word "straight" requires a further maturation of at least two years. According to Difford's Guide, the grain bill of the Evan Williams brand bourbons is 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% barley malt.
Range. Black Label is 43% ABV, and Bottled-in-Bond (White Label) is 50% ABV (100 proof), matured for at least four years. There is also 1783 Small Batch (45%) and Single Barrel Vintage (43.3%).
Why it matters to you. Check the type, age and strength on the label: the versions differ, and 50% ABV is noticeably stronger than 43%. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1783 — the year of the brand's legend (Evan Williams, Louisville); owner — Heaven Hill |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | 27 CFR § 5.143 (USA): bourbon, straight bourbon |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Raw material | corn 78%, rye 10%, barley malt 12% (according to Difford's Guide) |
| Cask type | new charred oak casks |
| Minimum maturation | straight — at least 2 years; Bottled-in-Bond — at least 4 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | Black Label — 43%; Bottled-in-Bond — 50%; 1783 — 45% |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Evan Williams → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Heaven Hill Brands, 🥃 Bardstown
- Packed in
- 🐝 American white oak, 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Rye and corn in whisky, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🧪 Water, 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Americans
- Part of
- 🥃 Bourbon whiskey, 🥃 Whisky
- Related to
- 🌍 North America
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Old Crow, 🥃 Old Crow, 🥃 Mackmyra, 🥃 Mackmyra, 🥃 Elijah Craig, 🥃 Sour mash
Frequently asked questions
Why do American bourbons say whiskey with an e when Scotch says whisky?
It is a spelling convention: American and Irish producers usually write whiskey, Scottish and Canadian ones whisky. Evan Williams follows the American habit.
Can I visit an Evan Williams attraction in the US?
Yes. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, a visitor attraction, operates on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky.
Which words make a US whiskey a bourbon on the label?
Under federal rules the word is reserved for US whiskey made from at least 51% corn, matured in new charred oak and bottled at no less than 40% ABV; straight adds two years of maturation.
Why do some labels say 100 proof next to the percentage?
American labels often print both scales. Bottled-in-Bond (White Label) is 50% ABV, which is 100 proof, while Black Label is 43% ABV.
Did a man called Evan Williams really open Kentucky's first distillery in 1783?
That is the brand's own legend, set in Louisville. Today the bourbon is made by Heaven Hill.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🧪 Water — ~87% of milk.
- 🐝 American white oak — A North American oak that gives wine strong vanilla and coconut notes.
Similar
🥃 Four Roses · 🥃 Woodford Reserve · 🥃 Baker's · 🥃 Old Crow · 🥃 Elijah Craig · 🥃 Jim Beam
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
What it includes
Sources
- 27 CFR § 5.143 (US TTB): Standards of identity, whisky (bourbon, straight whisky, new charred oak)
- Difford's Guide: Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond (White Label) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (50 % ABV, 4 years)
- Heaven Hill Distillery: Evan Williams Bourbon (Black label, named after Evan Williams, 1783, Louisville)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)