Let me introduce you to my friend Jack’s younger brother, Evan.

If you love bourbon but don’t have the money to spend on a bottle of Jack Daniels, then you’ll be happy to meet Evan Williams.

Like any whiskey brand, Evan Williams comes in a variety of flavors. Some are more expensive than others, but the basic green label variety I chose is cheap and good. It comes in a glass bottle — you can get one for $15 — and one sip of it won’t leave you with a nasty hangover the way a sip of bourbon from a plastic bottle can.

It looks like a typical bourbon, golden with a tinge of amber or caramel coloring. It smells like honey, vanilla and caramel, and I got a bit of pecan and walnut too.
As for the taste, I wouldn’t say it’s a smooth whiskey. I normally like my whiskey neat — no ice cubes — but I decided to put one cube in the glass to make it a more enjoyable tasting experience.

On the tip of the tongue, it’s sweet, and then the finish is a bit sour. The most noticeable part of the finish is the smokiness in the throat and nose — it’ll definitely warm up your throat.

Evan Williams does alright on its own, but it’s best in a mixed drink so I recommend keeping a bottle on your shelf. In any drink where Jack is the main liquor, replace it with Evan and you’ll save a pretty penny.

I’ve had Evan Williams with Coke, a whiskey sour and ginger ale, and couldn’t tell a difference between Evan and Jack in a mixed drink when I tried the side-by-side — they both tasted great.

I recommend picking up a bottle of Evan Williams next time you swing by the liquor store. It’s easy on the wallet, goes well in a mixer — but is drinkable on its own — and looks way more expensive than it actually is. Give it a try, and it’ll warm you up in the cold weather.

Published on February 18, 2016 at 12:01 am