Evan Williams 250th Anniversary Bourbon Review: Worth It?

Evan Williams 250th Anniversary Single Barrel Bourbon is worth buying at the $42 plus tax we paid. It delivers the bold, traditional bourbon character we want, with enough flavor and body to back up the collectible packaging. We both enjoyed it, even though we landed on different ratings.

At a glance

• Proof: 117.76, or 58.88% ABV.
• Age: Roughly seven years.
• Mash bill: Heaven Hill’s traditional recipe of 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye.
• Release: 250 single barrels selected.
• Price: Estimated MSRP of $40 to $60. Ours came from Fishpaws for $42 plus tax, rounded to about $47 total.
• Our ratings: One of us gave it a solid red on our scale; the other gave it double blue.

Packaging: watch for the 86-proof look-alike

Tom nearly mistook a different bottle for this release at a Virginia ABC. He was heading home from Virginia when he spotted almost identical packaging and called Steve. The proof check caught the difference: that bottle was 86 proof in a larger liter bottle. It is not the same bourbon.

The anniversary bottle we tasted is barrel number 72. It was barreled on December 17, 2018, and bottled on February 19, 2026. Each barrel is hand-numbered and bottled without blending it with other barrels to preserve its character.

That single-barrel setup makes us interested in comparing another barrel with ours. These notes describe the bottle we have, and another barrel would be worth tasting alongside it.

The wax top, real cork and vintage barrel details give the packaging plenty of collectible appeal. This release celebrates America’s 250th anniversary, and the presentation fits the occasion.

Nose: oak, caramel, cherry and tobacco

The bourbon looks dark for its age. On the nose, we get a traditional combination of oak, caramel, cherry and tobacco. We can sense the higher-proof character, but neither of us gets an ethanol smell.

The cherry and oak remind us of regular Evan Williams Single Barrel. We remember that bottle as a great single barrel around $35, and it has been widely available on shelves in our experience.

We’d been told to expect something closer to a Heaven Hill profile than a typical Evan Williams. To us, the familiar nose points toward a supercharged Evan Williams Single Barrel.

Palate: dark caramel, oak char and honey sweetness

The first sip brings dark caramel, brown sugar and tobacco. There’s some leather, too, though that note is lighter for one of us. Oak char stands out, and that is a flavor we really enjoy.

Cherry comes through as well, but it doesn’t account for all the sweetness. We also get honey alongside the darker brown sugar notes.

We differ slightly on the cinnamon. One of us describes a cinnamon-honey sweetness with a cinnamon bite on the back end. The other gets the honey clearly and understands the comparison, but wouldn’t naturally call it cinnamon honey.

This is strong whiskey. We recommend warming up your palate with something else first, because this is definitely not our warm-up pour.

Mouthfeel and finish: thick, lingering and best neat

The mouthfeel is thick and viscous. Compared with what we remember of regular Evan Williams Single Barrel, this has more body and a longer finish.

The flavors stick around well after the sip. That lingering caramel, oak char and tobacco are a big part of the appeal.

For us, neat is the way to drink this bottle. We don’t feel any need to mix it or put it over ice.

Value and availability: a fair price, a harder find

The price is one of this release’s strongest points. The proof delivers, the flavor stays firmly in traditional bourbon territory, and there’s a little extra flair to it.

Finding it is the tougher part. For anyone bourbon hunting in Maryland, our local experience suggests availability is already tight.

Our buddy Brian picked up this bottle in the Annapolis area. Angel’s Share had received and released it, but sold out before he got there. He then found it at Fishpaws. At the time of our tasting, we hadn’t seen this bottle anywhere else.

Worth buying, even with different ratings

The solid red came from loving the nose, mouthfeel and finish, especially that caramel, oak char and tobacco combination. The double blue came with a different reaction: the proof, price and flavors all work, but the whiskey lacked an extra bit of “zip” for that taster.

We agree that this is good bourbon with real collectible appeal. If you see it around the price we paid, grab it.