Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is one of those bottles that makes me genuinely happy to work in whiskey. At £36.95, it sits in a price bracket where most bourbons are cutting corners — lower proof, younger stock, vague labelling. This one does the opposite. It carries the Bottled in Bond designation, which under the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 means it must be the product of one distilling season, from one distillery, aged at least four years, and bottled at exactly 100 proof (50% ABV). That's not marketing — that's a legal guarantee of quality and transparency. For under forty quid, that kind of accountability is rare.
Evan Williams has long been one of America's best-selling bourbons, and the Bottled in Bond expression is where the brand genuinely earns its reputation. The 50% ABV is the sweet spot for bourbon in my experience — enough muscle to carry flavour through ice or a cocktail, but not so hot that it overwhelms on a neat pour. This is a bourbon built for people who actually drink bourbon, not just collect it.
What I appreciate most about this bottle is the honesty of it. There's no age statement, but the BiB rules guarantee a minimum of four years in new charred oak. At this price point, you're likely getting bourbon aged right around that mark, which for a Kentucky straight bourbon is perfectly respectable. The mashbill leans corn-heavy, as you'd expect from a traditional bourbon, and the barrel entry proof and warehouse conditions will have done their work over those years to build a solid flavour profile.
Tasting Notes
I'd encourage you to explore this one yourself — pour it neat first, let it open up for a few minutes, then try it with a single ice cube. The 100-proof bottling strength means it holds its character beautifully with a bit of dilution rather than falling apart the way lower-proof bourbons often do. That's the real advantage of the Bottled in Bond specification: it gives the whiskey room to breathe without losing its identity.
The Verdict
At £36.95, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is pound-for-pound one of the best value propositions in bourbon right now. It punches well above its weight against bottles twice the price. The Bottled in Bond guarantee gives you transparency that most budget bourbons simply don't offer, and the 50% ABV means you're getting a full-flavoured experience rather than a watered-down compromise. I keep a bottle on my bar at all times — it's the bourbon I reach for when I want something reliable, satisfying, and honest. A 7.8 out of 10 feels right: this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime sipper, but it's a genuinely good whiskey that delivers exactly what it promises, every single time.
Best Served
This is a natural Old Fashioned bourbon. Two dashes of Angostura, a barspoon of demerara syrup, stirred over a large ice cube with an orange peel expressed over the top. The 100-proof strength means the bourbon stands up to dilution as the ice melts, and you get a cocktail that stays balanced from the first sip to the last. It's also excellent neat with a single cube, or as the base spirit in a classic Whiskey Sour — the higher proof cuts through the citrus and sweetener without disappearing. For the price, you won't find a more versatile bourbon behind a home bar.
