For the Fourth of July weekend, I’m revisiting the Evan Williams America 250 bottles, but this time I’m adding two new friends to the lineup.

I already sampled bottles from barrels 92, 139 and 222. Since then, I’ve also found bottles from barrels 122 and 153. All five bottles come in at the exact same proof — 117.76 — and all five are almost identical in age. Four of them were bottled in February 2026. Barrels 92, 139 and 153 all went into oak in December 2018, while barrel 122 was barreled in October 2018. Barrel 222 was also oaked in December 2018, but it was bottled in March 2026.

In other words, these bottles are about as close to identical as single barrels can get on paper.

Same brand. Same release. Same proof. Same basic age. Same general window of time in the barrel.

But that’s the thing about single-barrel bourbon. The paper only tells part of the story.

To be fair, I already knew barrel 222 would be hard to disguise. Its color is darker and richer than the others, so even mixing up the glasses wasn’t going to hide it completely once I reached that dram. The other four looked close enough to identical to keep some mystery in the mix.

So the question became simple: Do any of these barrels stand out once the tasting is finished?

Let’s find out.

Glencairn A:
Color – Deep amber.
Nose – Dusty peanuts, toasted oak, caramel and vanilla.
Palate – Cinnamon, citrus zest, a slight bit of peanut and caramel.
Mouthfeel – Lightly oily.
Finish – Solid. The cinnamon lingers, but the fruit moves from citrus to cherries.
Overall impression – A very satisfying start to the blind. I’m not sure where this will finish in the order, but if this were the only America 250 bottle I owned, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Score – 82.24

Glencairn B:
Color – Light copper.
Nose – The oak moves forward here in a good way, followed by red fruit, toffee and nutmeg.
Palate – The baking spice is amplified early, and the peanut flavor shows up but fades quickly. Tart cherries arrive next and linger into the finish.
Mouthfeel – Nicely creamy.
Finish – Lingers well. The cherries dominate, backed by toasted oak and toffee.
Overall impression – This was an interesting one. The notes moved around unexpectedly, but in a good way. This is the kind of sip that is fun to spend time figuring out.
Score – 82.89

Glencairn C:
Color – Solid amber.
Nose – Again, the oak dominates early, but it is joined by light toffee, toasted nuts and vanilla.
Palate – The spice hits up front, along with buttery toffee, tart cherries and toasted oak.
Mouthfeel – Decent creaminess.
Finish – Better than average. The buttery toffee and cinnamon show up best.
Overall impression – I’m not sure I like this better than the previous drams, but it’s still a bottle worth having and savoring.
Score – 81.59

Glencairn D:
Color – Deep copper.
Nose – Buttery, with caramel, vanilla, light oak and maybe a hint of chocolate.
Palate – Spice is the common denominator, but this also brings rich caramel, butterscotch, cherries and a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel – Rich, oily and creamy.
Finish – Solid again. The flavors hang on well, with buttery caramel and tart cherries really carrying through.
Overall impression – Easily the best of the bunch. I knew what to expect from the color, but the experience was undeniable. I’m glad I have a few more bottles of this one on hand.
Score – 85.93

Glencairn E:
Color – Mid-amber.
Nose – The toasted oak shows up quickly, with light caramel, vanilla and nutmeg in the background.
Palate – The flavor is a surprise, with buttery toffee, cinnamon, light cherries and vanilla riding in waves.
Mouthfeel – Nicely viscous.
Finish – Nicely spicy, with cinnamon, vanilla, caramel and tart cherries dominating.
Overall impression – Based on the color, I wasn’t especially hopeful, but it still showed why the extra alcohol makes a difference. This was the surprise dram of the bunch.
Score – 81.70

Reveal:
Glencairn A: Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 139
Glencairn B: Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 92
Glencairn C: Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 153
Glencairn D: Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 222
Glencairn E: Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 122

Finish order:

1. Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 222 – 85.93
2. Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 92 – 82.89
3. Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 139 – 82.24
4. Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 122 – 81.70
5. Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 153 – 81.59

Final Thoughts:

None of these bottles is bad. Not one.

One is clearly better than the others. Two were a half-step beyond the bottom two. And even the bottom two were still very good bottles. All five sit in the top quarter of my shelf, and all five had distinct differences from each other in spite of nearly identical circumstances in terms of mash bill, proof and time in the barrel.

That tells you just how much influence a single barrel can have. It also shows how much the location of each barrel in the rickhouse matters. Two barrels sitting next to each other can be vastly different, let alone barrels sitting rows, floors or aisles apart.

That said, whatever happened with Barrel 222 made it special. It sits in my top 30, and I can’t wait to put it up against some of the elite bottles on my shelf.

But even more than that, I can’t wait to sip one or more of these bottles on the Fourth of July as I listen to the neighborhood fireworks and celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.

Thank you, Heaven Hill and Evan Williams, for helping make this year’s semiquincentennial celebration just a little more special.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.