Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Louisville KY
Each trip to Louisville KY provides another chance to visit one of the beautiful city’s many distilleries. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is located a few blocks from the riverfront, and across the street from where it became the first commercial distillery in Kentucky in 1783 (then part of Virginia until in 1792 when Kentucky became a State).
When you step in the lobby off Main Street, you are welcomed by a fantastic display of a glass of bourbon overflowing from a bottle that appears from outside as though it stands several floors tall. There you can find some historical information about the company along with a display of various test bourbons from the past.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience has a curated selection of five tours; from a historic presentation, to tailored tastings, to distilling methods exploration and a bootcamp where you work alongside the distillery team in producing that day’s barrel. For this visit I chose the Evan Williams Traditional Tour & Bourbon Tasting. Bill was our group’s “host”. He explained that the difference between a “host” and “guide” is that the “host” can partake in the tasting. Bill was extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and a terrific host.
The Evan Williams Traditional Tour & Bourbon Tasting is a mixture of displays of 18th century, barrel storage, and the actual on-site production facility, along with large video screens that include a step back in time to 1783 when Evan Williams opened Kentucky’s first commercial distillery there beside the Ohio River. The plot of land was called Square 6 (and at that time across the street). The videos recreate a meeting between Williams and the city council, which appointed him as Wharfmaster. Louisville was located at the Falls of the Ohio River, which was a major port for river traffic. Boats were unloaded above the Falls and the freight had to be carried over land, where it was then reloaded on boats below the Falls to be shipped to New Orleans. Louisville harbor was small, so as Wharfmaster, Williams provided oversite to avoid overcrowding. This included ensuring that boats complied with a regulation stipulating that all boats had to be unloaded and moved out of the harbor within forty-eight hours after arrival.
The tour includes a large media wall that shows the distilling process from start to finish. From there the tour moves on to a wall of windows for viewing the small batch distillery in production there.
The tour also covers the effects of Prohibition using a small mock up of the city’s nearly deserted Main Street.
The tour ends with a bourbon tasting in one of the various tasting rooms. Ours took place in a replica of a The Phil Hollenbach Company bar from the 1920s.
The tasting included four selected bourbons, listed here with the producers notes.
Evan Williams Single Barrel – Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon is handcrafted and specially selected by our Master Distillers. A five-time winner of “Whiskey of the Year,” it’s our most premium and decorated Bourbon that measures up to exacting standards. Finish: Long, graceful, and relaxed Proof: 86.6 Proof Color: Delicate amber gold Nose: Dark caramel, sweet oak, and charred wood Taste: Lush and spicy. Oak with honey, apple, and orange notes
Evan Williams 12-year-old – Distilled from a time-honored formula originated in 1783, Evan Williams is produced in the heart of Kentucky’s Bourbon country. This Bourbon is aged 12 years for a smoother, more complex flavor, world-renowned by Bourbon lovers. Available at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and select Kentucky retailers. Finish: Brown Sugar, Smoky Oak; Long and Vanilla-Like Proof: 101 Proof Color: Burnished Copper Nose: Honeyed Almond, Mint, and Fruitcake notes Taste: Boldly spicy, with Rye notes and a hint of Licorice
Evan Williams Master Blend – A masterful blend of various expressions, these well-crafted Bourbons have been married together to form a rare and unique bottling of Bourbon. The expressions from the Evan Williams family include: 23-year-old, Single Barrel, 1783, Bottled-In-Bond & Signature Black. Finish: Long and Delicate Proof: 90 Proof Color: Golden Amber Nose: Caramel, Citrus, Vanilla, Floral Taste: Soft and Sweet, Honey, Citrus, and Butterscotch
Square 6 Wheated Bourbon – Handcrafted at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in Louisville, KY by Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau, Square 6 by Evan Williams pays homage to the plot of land that housed Kentucky’s first commercial distillery, founded by Evan Williams in 1783. Square 6 Wheated Bourbon is comprised of two distinct Wheated Bourbon mashbills which were carefully blended post-aging. The first mashbill consists of 74% Corn, 16% Wheat, and 10% Malted Barley, and the second mashbill consists of 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley. This product is unique to the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and select Kentucky retailers. Proof: 105 Proof Color: Brilliant Dark Amber Nose: Caramel, Vanilla, Figs, Bing Cherries, and Oak, Taste: Sweet Confectioners Sugar, Walnuts Finish: Walnuts, Oak Tannins, Baking Spice, Cinnamon, and Cola
I enjoyed all of the selections, but my purchase for the day included the Master Blend and Square 6 Wheated. These are both Kentucky Exclusives, meaning that they are only available in Kentucky and select locations.
This visit was truly an “experience”. I hope some day to visit Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, KY. Heaven Hills launched the Evan Williams Bourbon brand in 1957 and produces many other brands including Heaven Hill, Elijah Craig, Pikesville, Parkers, Henry McKenna, Bernheim, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, Rittenhouse, and Mellow Corn. I can only imagine what the “experience” might provide there.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, 528 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
