One of the first mainstream American bourbons to get a new release for this year is the Evan Williams brand from Heaven Hill Distilleries. Announced in the earlier part of the month was the 2004 edition of the Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
The 2004 Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon is the latest edition in a series going back 19 years. For this vintage the distillers went with a character that is a bit more assertive and bold than in years past, selecting barrels that sit a bit higher up in the warehouses where the temperature gradients over the 9 or 10 years of aging were a bit more extreme.
The end result is a taste profile described as having dark caramel, sweet oak & charred wood expressions in the nose, leading to a taste that is lush & spicy and has hints of oak with honey, apple & orange notes. It finishes long and relaxed.
Each bottle of the 2004 edition of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon is marked with the exact date that it was placed in oak and bottled, in addition to the exact serial number of the single barrel from which it was drawn. It prices for around $27 per 750 ml bottle.