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An officially licensed product in partnership with America250, the non-partisan commission established by Congress to plan the nation's 250th anniversary, this commemorative bottling from Heaven Hill showcases the strengths of their huge production capacity and excellent unit economics. Only a fitting 250 barrels were selected which puts my estimate for total yield around 40-45K bottles. All barrels were personally selected by Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll. As part of the promotion of this offering, Heaven Hill donated $75K to Folds of Honor which provides educational scholarships to the family of fallen or disabled US Service members and first responders.
🛒Sourced: $39.99 for 750ml from Smyrna World of Beverage, April 2026. This is my first time seeing it on the shelf in market, though Georgia tends to be a bit late to new releases. With the lower proof Vintage appearing in the $30-$32 range, this bottle is also likely one of the stronger values on the market. Pricing seems to reflect an almost exact proportional markup on the ABV of the lower proof product.
🧪Proof: 117.76 proof, 58.88% ABV - Note that this is a thematic choice as "1776" is the date of the United States Independence. This is a big step up for the Vintage line which usually comes out at a much lower and more economical 86.6 proof, basically a third more alcohol by volume.
🎨Color: R4 - Amber, not overly dark. I'm a huge fan of the Wax dipped "fat boy" bottles that Evan Williams uses for the Vintage Series and certain commemoratives. this Blue Wax and Red/White/Blue label iteration is particularly fine looking.
🥔Mash Bill & Production: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley. This is the classic Heaven Hill Regular Mash bill ("HH Reg") that goes into Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, JW Dant, and JTS Brown bottlings. Heaven Hill achieves each brand's profile through barrel management and selection as flavors change depending on storage location and duration.
- Age - The back label helpfully has the "barreled on" date (12/18/2018) and "bottled on" date (2/24/2026) for a total of seven years, two months, and six days. This barrel is #166. Heaven Hill targets 7-8 years of age for the vintage series.
- Distillation Proof - 140 proof
- Barrel Entry Proof - 125 Proof
- Char - Char #3, standard HH char
- Batch Size - Single Barrel
- Chill Filtered - Not Mentioned
👃Nose: Pretty approachable for the proof, oak wood, caramel, and toffee.
😜Palate: Medium thickness, a little bit of heat on the back of the throat, mostly an even flavor start to finish. Caramel, nutmeg, and a little bit of dark stone fruit (could be plum or cherry). Absent is the spearmint or pine that I sometimes get with other Evan Williams Vintage bottles, putting the profile closer to what we usually see in Elijah Craig.
💦Finish: Medium length but longer of sensation than of taste, mostly dry oak with a dash of cinnamon.
🏆 Overall: 7/10 - Great - I'm a big fan of the value in this bottle. I won't say that it overwhelmingly outperforms the 86 proof standard offering, but there is some variability with single barrels so I can't be sure what portion of the curve I'm sampling with this particular bottle. What I am certain of is that this is a tasty bottle at an everyman's price point, an honest bourbon packing a patriotic punch.
💵Would buy again? Yes, I need to get a few more for drinking and one for the long-term bunker! Though random batches of Benchmark Barrel Proof get close and Kirkland's Barton Single barrel is interesting, this is a bottle with few real competitors at similar proof points to dollars. Old Grand Dad 114 is probably a better bet for those of you who don't have a premium on fruited notes (admission - I do).
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously
🙈Blind Tastings:
- 6/03/26 - ECBP Y625 > Evan Williams Vintage 250th America > Old Granddad 114