Evan Williams

In 1783, Evan Williams opened Kentucky's first distillery on the banks of the Ohio River. Now owned by Heaven Hill Distillery, Evan Williams is one of the best-selling bourbons in the world, renowned for its rich and smooth character. As of 2010, Evan Williams was the second largest-selling brand of Kentucky straight bourbon (following the market-leading Jim Beam brand) and had the fastest-growing market share among the top-volume American whiskey brands. The "standard issue" Evan Williams bourbon is sold as the mass-market "Black Label" variety. The company also bottles several other varieties, including a "White Label" that is bottled in bond, an "Evan Williams 1783" bourbon that is produced in more limited quantities, and a nine-year-old single barrel bourbon sold in vintage-dated bottles sealed with black wax. Occasionally available in some regions is a "Green Label" variety that is 80 proof and represents a younger, lighter-bodied version of the bourbon found in "Black Label" bottles at a more affordable price.