Evan Williams 23 Year is one of the oldest regularly released Kentucky straight bourbons, bottled at 107 proof by Heaven Hill. In the United States it has long been sold mainly through the distillery's own visitor shops, with a share of each release going to Japan.
About This Bourbon
The 23 year old has appeared in various forms since the late 1980s, always with the blue wax seal. It is made from Heaven Hill's standard bourbon mash bill of roughly 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley and aged at least 23 years in new charred oak. At 107 proof it is bottled much stronger than most bourbons of this age, which gives it more body and sweetness than the dry, woody style often found at this age.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Old oak and furniture polish, then dark caramel, cherry, crème brûlée and a little tobacco.
- Palate: Full and slightly syrupy. Vanilla, cherry sweets, honey and brown butter held in place by firm tannin and black pepper.
- Finish: Drying and persistent, with leather, clove, cigar box and a last trace of caramel.
Serving & Food
Leave it ten minutes in a Glencairn before the first sip, so the oak settles and the cherry comes through. Water is optional. After dinner, dark chocolate or candied pecans.
How to Enjoy
Tastings of very old bourbon, to see how Kentucky whiskey behaves after more than two decades in oak.
Product Details
Producer: Heaven Hill Distillery (Evan Williams)
Expression: 23 Years Old
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Country: USA
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky
Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
Age: 23 years
ABV: 53.5%
Proof: 107 proof
Volume: 750mL
Market: Released through Heaven Hill's visitor shops and the Japanese market
About the Distillery
Heaven Hill was founded in 1935 by the Shapira family in Bardstown, Kentucky, and remains family owned. Its brands include Elijah Craig, Larceny, Henry McKenna and Rittenhouse Rye, with Evan Williams, named after an 18th-century Louisville distiller, as its biggest-selling bourbon.
In November 1996 a fire destroyed the original Bardstown distillery and several warehouses. Heaven Hill bought the Bernheim distillery in Louisville in 1999 and has distilled there since, while ageing and bottling stay in Bardstown.