🥃Review #90: Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage

🥃Review #90: Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage - America 250th Anniversary

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 EW vintage series bottles.

💦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:

🙈Blind Tastings:

6/03/26 - ECBP Y625 > Evan Williams Vintage 250th America > Old Granddad 114

🥃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...

🥃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...

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

If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible. Last Updated & Validated 4/17/2026 . Added a number off options for beer and multi-bev. Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Moun...

☕ All Java Monster Flavors Tasted & Ranked

As a habitual caffeine abuser, I have a soft spot for Monster, both for their expansive lineup of flavors as well as their support for Sports and E-sports. Coffee is my standard caffeination vector, so the Java Monster suite of products is the perfect mix of bean flavor and energy boost. In this post, I'll provide my personal rankings and rationale for what is a very strong lineup. Note that I have not been compensated in any way for this write-up... I just like them. Currently, Monster Energy 's Java Monster lineup has five available flavors: Mean Bean - Vanilla Irish Crème Loca Mocha - Chocolate Salted Caramel Café Latte There are two "triple shot" versions of the Vanilla and Mocha which contain 300mg of caffeine though their flavors are very similar to the base versions above. At this point, we should also take a moment of silence for the two cold brew flavors, sweet black and nitro latte. The nitro latte was a personal favorite and I quite liked the sweet black,...

🥃 Review #34: ASW Fiddler Toasted Wheat Cask Strength Bourbon

Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same...

Castle & Cairn

Search This Blog