Review #172: Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch American Heroes Edition 2025

MASH BILL: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley

PROOF: 90

AGE: NAS (6-8 yrs from press release)

COST: $21 for 750mL bottle (North Carolina)

I figured this was an appropriate bottle to enjoy for the Memorial Day weekend, don’t you? I picked up this bottle in North Carolina for a weekend getaway. There are some folks in the party that would sip it neat, but a few that I knew would want their whiskey with Coke. So rather than buying two different bottles, I wanted to find a single bottle that would appease everyone (i.e. not buy something too expensive just to watch it get mixed with Coke). I saw this bottle on sale for $21 and figured it was about as good of a deal as you can get. Having had the regular EW 1783 Small Batch before, I figured this would scratch the whiskey nerd itch for me as well by allowing me try something different that I haven’t had before.

Before we dive in, Memorial Day weekend in upstate South Carolina always seems to be the kickoff of summer. Lots of gatherings over low country boils, BBQ, getting out on the lakes, and plenty of libations to celebrate and general merriment. But no matter how you’re celebrating or what you’re sipping on this weekend, don’t forget the meaning of the holiday. Memorial Day is to honor the men and women that have died while serving in the U.S. military. Over the history of this country, hundreds of thousands have paid the ultimate sacrifice in combat, while over a million total have lost their lives when considering non-combat related deaths (many of which may not have happened if it weren’t for combat) such as disease, accidents, and suicide - all while serving this country so that we can celebrate our nation, not just on this holiday weekend, but every day. Don’t let that be lost.

With that, let’s dive in!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: A tawny color (1.4); quite oily looking with thin, slow legs at first and fatter, tear drop legs to follow.

NOSE: Classic Heaven Hill profile. Lots of caramel, vanilla, crisp apples with a light dusting of cinnamon, occasionally a touch of maraschino cherry, and a little nutty earthiness with a light campfire smoke.

PALATE: The mouthfeel is simple syrup like and tends to concentrate on the center of the tongue and roof of the mouth. Caramelized brown sugar and cinnamon spice with a touch of dry rye berries adding a little earthiness dominate the palate. A light cherry note shows up mid-palate and fades out before going into the finish. There’s a little barrel char and light cooling mint note that briefly shows up before going into the finish.

FINISH: This has a medium length finish that leans a bit dry. Cinnamon and toasted oak carry over from the palate nicely. The apple note from the nose shows back up quite prominently. Lightly toasted walnuts and white pepper outlasts the sweeter notes along with the cinnamon spice.

RATING: 5.8/10

OVERALL: This is pretty classic Evan Williams with a little extra fruit notes in the apple and cherry that I got. I was surprised how well it coated the palate at 90 proof, but in general it wasn’t quite as robust as I would have liked (EW BiB envy). But in general, the six veterans who helped picked the barrels for this release did a great job! The extra fruit sweetness is a nice addition to the heavy caramel and cinnamon notes and makes it a noticeable enough departure from the other EW expressions I’ve had. The best part about this bottle at this price point of just over $20 is that it’s perfect for just about everything: you can sip it neat, you can put it on rocks, you can use it in a cocktail, or even add a splash of Coke! At this price, there’s no guilt in mixing it, but it’s still great to sip neat.

Behind the Bottle

Since 2020, Heaven Hill established the American-Made Heroes Foundation and proudly pairs it with the Evan Williams brand which is they are proud to state is “American-made and American-owned.” The American-Made Heroes Foundation is intended to honor U.S. veterans by providing recognition to their stories, raising awareness for veteran causes, and supporting non-profit organizations that are veteran focused. Evan Williams has recognized 69 heroes through this program and donated over $700,000 to their causes.

As part of this program, Evan Williams features limited edition bottles to honor the American-made Heroes and their communities. The 1783 Small Batch is particularly interesting as the veterans that are recognized each year plays a part in the barrel selection for the American Hero Edition batch. With EW 1783 traditionally being a blend of about 200 barrels, I’m not sure the role the veterans play in the barrel selection or blending, but I still think this is really cool and allows them to leave their own mark on the particular batch.

The 2025 class of American-made Heroes consisted of 6 veterans who picked barrels from Bernheim Warehouse 1-I for this 1783 release. As of this time, I can’t get much more details on the 2025 class as there is not enough info on the bottle other than what is shown in the photos, and the evanwilliamsheroes.com website has not been updated to show the 2025 class info as of the time of this review.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 121.2, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08, RR15