Evan Williams White Label (Bonded)

[peak_oil]

I like the White. It's a lot smoother than I thought it would be.

 

[Spang]

I picked this up the other day and have not tried it yet. Looking over the labeling I see it is marked Charcoal Filtered and Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

I thought the one thing that kept Jack Daniels from calling itself a bourbon was that they used charcoal filtering and according to the rules, you cannot label anything bourbon without following the strict rules.

The Evan Williams website is mum on the matter, thought I would ask if someone here has some information on this matter.

The two processes used for the "charcoal filtering" are very different. JD (and George Dickel, the other Tennessee whiskey) use the Lincoln County process, which puts the whiskey through a fairly raw charred wood medium that imparts the "sooty" taste characteristic of Tennessee whiskey. Google "Lincoln county process" for details. The requirements for Tennessee whiskey are identical to bourbon, except that they must undergo the Lincoln County process. Both Jack and Dickel could legally be labeled bourbon, but choose to use the Tennessee designation, I assume for uniqueness. The "charcoal filtering" referred to on the EW label is a finishing process using activated charcoal (nearly pure carbon) that is designed to remove any off flavors and ensure clarity. Many (if not most) bourbons undergo this treatment but most don't advertise it on the label.

And by the way, I think the EW White is one of the best deals going in good, value priced bourbon. Enjoy.

 

[Romeo212000]

The two processes used for the "charcoal filtering" are very different. JD (and George Dickel, the other Tennessee whiskey) use the Lincoln County process, which puts the whiskey through a fairly raw charred wood medium that imparts the "sooty" taste characteristic of Tennessee whiskey. Google "Lincoln county process" for details. The requirements for Tennessee whiskey are identical to bourbon, except that they must undergo the Lincoln County process. Both Jack and Dickel could legally be labeled bourbon, but choose to use the Tennessee designation, I assume for uniqueness. The "charcoal filtering" referred to on the EW label is a finishing process using activated charcoal (nearly pure carbon) that is designed to remove any off flavors and ensure clarity. Many (if not most) bourbons undergo this treatment but most don't advertise it on the label.

And by the way, I think the EW White is one of the best deals going in good, value priced bourbon. Enjoy.

i believe JD reuses their barrels, no? If that's true, that alone disqualifies them from being called a bourbon.

 

[Spang]

i believe JD reuses their barrels, no? If that's true, that alone disqualifies them from being called a bourbon.

No. JD is aged in new, charred barrels, same as bourbon. Federal law requires that anything labeled "Tennessee whiskey" has to be "straight bourbon whiskey authorized only to be produced in the state of Tennessee." So, it has to meet all of the legal requirements for "straight bourbon", which means, among other things, aging only in new, charred oak barrels. To be labeled Tennessee, it also has to undergo the "Lincoln County process". So, JD and Dickel are both bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, and can legally be labeled as either.

The speculation is that all, or at least some, of those used JD barrels are used for Early Times, a label also owned by Brown-Forman. ET is no longer labeled as bourbon due to at least some of it being aged in used cooperage, so those used barrels are coming from somewhere, right? The largest selling whiskey in the world seems like a pretty good bet as the source. The rest mostly go to Scotland for their version of whisky.

 

[duckhunterok]

I really enjoy Evan Williams, in my opinion its the best bourbon out there (for me) for the buck I haven't seen this white label yet. I'll keep my peepers open next time I'm at the liquor store.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch has been and will continue to be a staple in my bar. It's an outstanding bourbon, regardless of the value price. I've heard good things about the White Label but haven't had the pleasure yet.

Agreed on both counts. There are a lot of great bourbons coming out of Heaven Hill. The 1783 Small Batch is my favorite bargain bourbon by far.

 

[Romeo212000]

Just picked up a bottle of 1783. Will be trying it later tonight.

 

[Romeo212000]

Damn! This 1783 is really good. I'd call it the best bourbon for the money. I like it better than the bonded, and Weller special reserve.