Evan Williams Black Label

[sotnsipper]

I am trying to figure out if this is just me or not. I have always kept a bottle of EW Black just to have around. Last weekend I picked up a bottle since I was out. I usually drink the EW first then finish off with some Old Forester Signature. This night I totally skipped the OF. The EW was actually really good for some reason. I am usually left with a corny after taste with the EW but this time, I caught some rye spice. Am I imagining this or has EW changed its mash bill, or was it just this particular bottle? I am looking forward to picking up my next bottle to see if it is the same. This bottle should go pretty quick since I like it so much. Anyway, let me know if you have noticed any changes in the taste. Thanks for reading!

[kickert]

I am reminded of the story of Jesus turning the water into wine: "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

I am wondering why you start with EW then go with the good stuff. I like to start with the good stuff when my palate is fresh then once I have a our or two move on to the cheaper whiskey.

... but... I guess that does not answer your question.

[sotnsipper]

Well, I have tried it the other way around but find that I cannot enjoy the EW as much that way. I like to finish off with the higher rye for some reason. Maybe I am just weird? Who knows.....

[Virus_Of_Life]

I am sure they have not changed the mash bill. What the did fairly recently was change from a 7 year old age stated bottling to a Non Age Stated (NAS) bottling. That, I would have suspected, would make it less desireable not moreso but you never know.

[Josh]

Well, I have tried it the other way around but find that I cannot enjoy the EW as much that way. I like to finish off with the higher rye for some reason. Maybe I am just weird? Who knows.....

[sotnsipper]

I knew they changed the labeling from a 7yr statement to a no age one. That did not seem to changed the taste of it that I could tell. That is until now. I too know I could spend a little more for something better, and I usually do, but EW was my first taste of bourbon. It is kind of like an old friend to me, I like having it around. It is what got me turned to bourbon from Jack.

[funknik]

I am reminded of the story of Jesus turning the water into wine: "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

I am wondering why you start with EW then go with the good stuff. I like to start with the good stuff when my palate is fresh then once I have a our or two move on to the cheaper whiskey.

... but... I guess that does not answer your question.

[Josh]

The idea in Jesus' day was that you serve the good stuff (such as it was back then, sweet rosé or retsina) first, then the rotgut when the guest have gotten drunk and can't tell the difference. Some sort of distilling did go on back then, apparently Aristotle (a few hundred years before Jesus of Nazareth) made ref to distillilation of herbal concoctions. Kind of funny to think of Jesus drinking gin, but I suppose its possible.

Anyway, My wife's gparents used to do a similar thing. He had a bottle of Beefeater that he would keep refilling with the cheapest by-the-gallon stuff he could find. He would always make a big deal of bringing out a bottle of "the good stuff" for the cocktail hour w/his friends in Naples, Fla. and they would always rave about how great his martinis were.:falling:

[cowdery]

All of the distilleries go to great lengths to ensure consistency from bottle to bottle, which means from bottling batch to bottling batch. If supply and demand pressures force them to get sloppy, they do it with their absolutely bottom shelf products. Although Evan Williams black label is considered a "value" brand, it is Heaven Hill's flagship and so I suspect they rarely compromise it. Much more likely is a "set and setting" experience, in which all of the conditions were right for you to derive maximum enjoyment from your adult beverages on that particular evening. You don't say why you skipped the OF but you changed your routine, didn't have the experience you expected to have, and the surprise was a pleasant one. More likely than not, the difference was all you.