Some bottles arrive with hype attached. Others arrive quietly and force their way into the conversation.
That was the case with the elusive Evan Williams America 250 bottle. It impressed me enough on first pour that I decided it deserved a proper blind challenge against five other single barrels covering a wide proof range, price range, and reputation level.
The lineup:
- Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof
- Clyde May’s Single Barrel Blue Label
- Evan Williams America 250
- Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond
- New Riff 6-Year Single Barrel
- Rebel Single Barrel Kyle Busch Edition
And as always, blind means blind: six glasses, lettered A through F, no identities attached until the scoring was done.
Blind Notes
A — 82.89
Mid-copper color. Warm aromas of brown sugar, caramel, mild baking spice and cherries. On the palate, the cherries leap forward, joined by cinnamon, then brown sugar and caramel. Creamy mouthfeel, with a lengthy finish where tart cherry and vanilla take over.
B — 84.52
Deep copper color. Toasted nuts, berries, nutmeg and caramel on the nose. Brown sugar and caramel lead early, followed by cinnamon, nutmeg and cherries. Creamy mouthfeel, long finish, with caramel and berries carrying it home.
C — 80.40
Mid-copper color. Slight ethanol on the nose, but brown sugar, tree fruit and caramel emerge. Cinnamon opens the palate, followed by cherry cola and brown sugar. Silky mouthfeel. Medium finish with cherries and brown sugar.
D — 80.18
Deep copper color. Early ethanol gives way to baking spice, caramel and vanilla. Oak appears first on the palate, then cinnamon, caramel and vanilla. Silky mouthfeel. Finish stays focused on cinnamon and vanilla.
E — 84.74
Rich mahogany color. A touch of ethanol, then brown sugar, dark cherries, vanilla and citrus peel. Cinnamon hits first, then orange peel, caramel and cherries. Creamy mouthfeel. Rich finish of sweet cherries and dark chocolate.
F — 81.38
Light copper color. Warm brown sugar, nutmeg, caramel and vanilla. Cinnamon arrives early, followed by orange zest, cherries, caramel and brown sugar. Nearly creamy mouthfeel. Finish lingers nicely with cinnamon, brown sugar and citrus.
The Reveal
- A — Clyde May’s Blue Label
- B — Evan Williams America 250
- C — Old Forester Single Barrel 100
- D — Henry McKenna BiB
- E — New Riff 6-Year Single Barrel
- F — Rebel Kyle Busch Single Barrel
Final Finish Order
🥇 New Riff 6-Year Single Barrel — 84.74
🥈 Evan Williams America 250 — 84.52
🥉 Clyde May’s Blue Label — 82.89
4️⃣ Rebel Kyle Busch Single Barrel — 81.38
5️⃣ Old Forester Single Barrel 100 — 80.40
6️⃣ Henry McKenna BiB — 80.18
What Makes This Interesting
The headline here is not simply that New Riff 6-Year Single Barrel won — because frankly, at $63, it probably should be near the top.
The bigger story is that Evan Williams America 250, at just $40, came within two-tenths of first place and outperformed bottles costing dramatically more.
That means it beat:
- an ~$80 Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof
- a ~$70 Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond
- a ~$60 Clyde May’s Single Barrel Blue Label
And it did so not by being flashy, but by being balanced: rich caramel, berries, spice, creamy texture, and a finish that stayed composed.
Meanwhile, New Riff earned the win because it simply brought the deepest complete package — richer fruit, darker complexity, and that dark chocolate note in the finish pushed it over the line.
Value Verdict
If price enters the equation 💵🥃:
- Best pure whiskey tonight: New Riff
- Best value tonight: Evan Williams America 250
At forty dollars, that bottle punches far above where it has any business punching.
And honestly, that makes it one of the more satisfying limited bottles I’ve opened in quite a while.
