The Entrepreneur, The Politician, & The Distiller

Evidently Evan Williams was a renaissance man with varied skills. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience leads its guest through an audio visual storytelling of the distilling process, the brand’s namesake, and an early history of Louisville’s famed Whiskey Row.

The walking presentation had a good pace to it and attendees have the opportunity to see many things that you would at a traditional distillery. In fact, they have an operational still and full barrels onsite arranged in rickhouse style as you ascend the back staircase.

The information provided may not have been as thorough as many of the other tours I have been on, but for a downtown attraction, I feel they hit their mark. Short filmed segments shown in various rooms kept everyone’s attention – young and old. While not a documentary length discourse, the explanation of the distilling process and the lighted wall that lead you though common equipment and processes was a good showing. The facility is perfect for a broad range of visitors – families with children, bourbon neophytes, EW loyalists, or anyone who wants to spend an enjoyable hour conveniently located in the city near numerous amenities.

We did a tasting at the end of the tour: Larceny, Evan Williams Single barrel, and bourbon balls. At this point in the day, I enjoyed the candy the most – it was delicious. I think both liquor offerings are nice choices, but neither are common purchases of mine. If I had to choose between the two, I would lean more towards Larceny. My favorite EW product happens to be the EW 1783, which is fortunate for me as my preference has an inverse relationship to price within these offerings.

I will also say that they did a nice job with the gift shop with a fairly diverse range of food, bourbon and clothing products. I was happy to walk away with a free Bardstown Whiskey Society polo by using their promo code that was emailed out to members – hurry there though as the offer is only good during February and also includes a reduced ticket price.