Evan Williams 1783 takes its name from the year that Welsh immigrant Evan Williams allegedly began distilling on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville — a date Heaven Hill leans into as a marker of Kentucky's commercial bourbon origins. The expression itself was reformulated and elevated in 2018, going from a 43% ABV "10 Brand" to a small-batch bourbon bottled at a bumped-up 90 proof.
It sits in the Evan Williams range a half-step above the green-label flagship and below the bonded white label, aimed at drinkers who want a slightly more refined sipper without crossing into single-barrel territory. The small-batch designation here means a marrying of a select group of barrels rather than a single cask, which gives 1783 a smoothness and consistency that's hard to fault at the price.
The nose is gentle and inviting — vanilla, honey, baked apple, and a dusting of cinnamon. The palate follows the script faithfully: caramel and vanilla up front, sweet corn in the middle, then a soft drape of oak and toasted nut. There's nothing aggressive about it, which is the point. This is a bourbon designed to be approachable, mixable, and forgiving.
The finish is medium-length, mellow, and clean. As an everyday Old Fashioned bourbon or a mellow neat pour for guests who don't usually drink whiskey, 1783 earns its keep. It won't displace the bonded as the connoisseur's choice in the Evan Williams lineup, but for under twenty dollars it's an honest, easy-drinking Kentucky bourbon with no rough edges.
