Review #689 - Evan Williams 8 Year Single Barrel Vintage 2016
This single barrel version of Evan Williams has disappeared and reappeared a few times over the past couple of decades. Older versions with distillation vintages in the 1990s and early 2000s were very highly rated; later versions had the age statements reduced from 9 to 10 years down to 7 to 8 years. Prior to 2022, this was a nationwide release; for a couple of years, it became a Kentucky-only release, before a re-launch across the United States in 2024.
This current post-2024 edition still carries a 7 year or 8 year age statement; the specific bottle we're looking at today, which has a distillation vintage of 2016, was aged for 8 years and 2 months. Heaven Hill has also slowly raised the price on this release; these days, we generally see it available for about $35. So, does this vintage release still present some of the best value in the bourbon market?
Evan Williams 8 Year Single Barrel Vintage 2016
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 35 (2025)
Age Statement: 8 Years
Strength: 43.3% ABV
Details: Barrel 42; barreled May 7, 2016; bottled July 9, 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 70% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Sweeter, with some nutty notes, a bit of cherry cordial, and some caramel. Oak builds - sweeter oak, instead of dry - and we get some brown sugar. It's relatively simple but quite pleasant.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thin; brown sugar leans, and it's still sweet, but we get baking notes like nutmeg and black pepper with time. There's a soft tannin influence from the oak, and later, hints of anise.
Finish: Medium length, with a nice warmth despite the lower strength. There's a mix of sweet caramel and almonds, and that oak is still adding a soft tannic side; overall, the oak has a medium strength.
Final Note: We're very impressed with this bottle considering the price and the bottling strength. It isn't a world beater by any means, but it's a nice bourbon with some character and a decent amount of oak notes. We don't see the red fruit note as often these days in Heaven Hill bourbons, so that was a nice treat on this nose; the nutty flavors were a constant throughout the experience.
Value is excellent to us, despite the increased price. We've tried a couple other examples of this single barrel vintage bourbon with similar results - generally more interesting than you expect, a well-rounded sipper that we're happy to recommend in this price bracket.
Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 8.25
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Evan Williams reviews:
Review #350 - Evan Williams 12 Year Red Label
