🥃Review #13 Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Whiskey

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond sits in front of a bush, 1.75ML container white label.

Heaven Hill is an institution in the whiskey world, manufacturing such deft drams as Henry McKenna,
Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, Parker's and Elijah Craig. Savvy buyers know that many of their bottles meet or beat those of similarly priced and exhaustingly hunted Buffalo Trace products. Take a scroll through Reddit, X(formerly known as Twitter) or many a forum and you'll see this bottle as a recurring pick for the best value in bourbon. Here's my take on the budget beast, Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond:

🛒Sourced: 1.75L Tower Spirits - ATL, GA $26.89 - This is a competitive intent price match of Total Wine which is $26.99. That's $11.57 for the 750ml equivalent. Rock bottom prices for a bonded whiskey.

🧪Proof: 100, 50%

📚Background: As regulated by the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897, Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond is a beefed up version of the ever population Evan Williams black label. Master Williams, the namesake, opened Kentucky's first commercial distillery along the bands of the Ohio river just a hop skip and a jump over from the current day facility in Louisville, Kentucky. Consistently in the top handful of best selling Kentucky Straight Bourbons, the bottled-in-bond version ups the proof from 86 to 100 and is the product of a single distillery and season, aged for a minimum of four years. It's a glass bottle with a plastic cap, loving textured with a raised "Evan Williams" scrawl on the four sides and crowned with the Bottled-in-Bond green seal of approval.

🥔Mash Bill: Mash Bill 78% Corn. 12% Malted Barley. 10% Rye. The same as Evan Williams.

👃Nose: Light Light Light, can take a big old whiff and not even flinch. It's 100 proof but smoother than butter. Caramel, vanilla, the usual stuff. As reliable as grilled cheese and tomato soup.

😜Palate: Bourbon flavored bourbon, small amount of wood, some sweetness, vanilla, caramel, and grain. A little bit of nuttiness but less so than you'd find in the typical Turkey or Beam. Oak at the end. None of it overbearing. Just a good, clean, regular bourbon pour.

🏆 Overall: 5/10 - Good | A Reliable Workhorse - It's my daily driver and part of me wants to rate it higher, but this is the honest number. Incredible value with enough flavor and proof to make your happy. Somewhat monotone with traditional whiskey flavors, it's the quintessence of a basic bottle of brown and there is something beautiful about that. Throw it in some coke, make a mint julip, or heavy pour an evening sipper. No regrets here. For a night out on the town, a 50/50 bottle of EWBiB and diet sweet tea makes certified party fuel (non-stick in case you spill it and easy on the tum tum). Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond has a permanent home on my shelf.

💵Would buy again? Yes, always on my shelf. This may well be the best value in all of whiskey.

⚖️Rating Scale:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

🥃Review #15 Costco's Kirkland Small Batch Bourbon

Costco's liquor store is a thing of beauty. While not every Kirkland edition is a hit, there are enough standouts on a fun per dollar ratio to always merit a look. Almost all of the house brands are less than $30, and I'm always excited to take a long shot when the new seasonal releases come around. 📚 Background: Distilled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky, Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hits the shelves a few times a year. Mine was from batch 1124. The bottle presentation is supposed to evoke the same feel as other small batch whiskeys and there is a decorative purity seal that is reminiscent of the ever reliable bottled in bond green filigree, albeit in a meaningless red. Unlike its bonded brethren, this edition comes in under 100 proof and does not have any age statement. There's not a whole lot of additional information provided by Costco or the distiller, but we can reasonably assume that it shares a similar pedigree as the entry level 1792...

🥃Review #53: Costco's Kirkland 15YR Highland Single Malt Scotch - 2025

The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label. Neither Alex...

🍺 Definitive Light Beer Tier List: Meta-Analysis & Ranking

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🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

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🥃 Review #40: Kirkland Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2024)

Like Costco's other Scotches, the Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt is bottled for Alexander Murray and imported by MISA Imports after being distilled and aged in Scotland (TTB.gov plant registry TX-I-1277). The isle of Islay is one of the southern most islands in Scotland and is one of the five whisky regions ensconced in law. There are only nine active distilleries on the island, and the Islay style is typified by strong peat or smoky flavors. As a single malt, we know that the juice in this bottle comes entirely from one of those nine! All of the distilleries are significantly smaller than Glenlivet and many of the mainland producers. Taste testing has people split between Caol Illa, Bruichladdich (Port Charlotte), and Bunnahabhain as being the source. Caol Illa and Laphroig both have done deals for private brand scotch without rights to name the source distillery, but Laphroig does not match the flavor profile for this bottle. Realistically, Caol Illa is the most likely cand...

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