Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003...

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003 (43.3%): It's that time of the year. I managed to score a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel, sat down on my couch and about to taste it... One of my favorite yearly releases. You don't have to do evil things to find a bottle, you don't have to spend a small fortune, it always shows beautiful differences from year to year and to be honest I didn't taste any vintage that I hated. First one came in 1996 and it's released every year since then. This year my bottle's barrel number is 444. It is distilled on May 15th, 2003 and bottled on May 10th, 2013. It's been a long time since I tasted a bourbon on tire-bouchon. So, here we go... Color: Dark amber, polished old copper kitchenware with visible legs. Nose: Vanilla, salted caramel bites and maple butter cookies. Tangerine peel with cinnamon dusting. Very expensive leather laptop bag and varnished vintage hard wood furniture. It is so calm, mature and subtle. Palate: Sweet maple liquor, candied brown sugar, honey pecan pralines and cinnamon. Citrusy notes I detected on the nose are more present on the palate. Pink grapefruit juice, kumquat marmalade with some dried sour cherries. Beautiful balance of sweet and tart qualities. The whole time everything is accompanied by warm oak notes from a close distance. You can feel its firm presence but not taking over the profile. Finish: Medium long. Creamy with slightly burned creme brulee topped with raspberries, toasted cereals and candied blood orange zest. Overall: Another great release with an incredible price tag. It's perfectly balanced with citrus, burnt sugar and oak notes in a very hard to achieve harmony. Would it be too much to ask to have it at a slightly higher abv next time? Just a notch... Anyway, if you still can find a bottle get one. I will definitely look for another because this bottle won't last too long.

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