Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon Undergoes Major Redesign

Evan Williams Bourbon, the second largest selling bourbon brand in the world, today announced a major redesign of Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch.

This comes as the entire Evan Williams line goes through a branding overhaul.

Named after the year Evan Williams first opened his distillery on the banks of the Ohio River, this bourbon’s new package celebrates Kentucky Bourbon’s first licensed endeavor, the company says. Returning to the original 90 proof, as denoted on the new bottom face label, Small Batch Bourbon is the second highest proof in the Evan Williams family.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch relaunches in a new glass bottle with the Evan Williams signature blown in across the top. “1783” is prominently displayed in gold foil accent across the top label, as well as “small batch,” to signify the bourbon inside is a blend of 300 barrels or less.

Topping the bottle is an upgraded capsule finish featuring the same Evan Williams signature repeated in the background.

Made with Heaven Hill Distillery’s traditional bourbon mashbill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye, Evan Williams 1783 retains an extra-aged quality, the company says, as it is a marriage of barrels aged six to eight years.

“Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch pays homage to some of the earliest years of licensed distilling in Kentucky, and an important year for bourbon and the Commonwealth’s signature industry,” says Julie Cole, Evan Williams senior brand manager. “With a return to the original 90 proof, the award-winning mashbill of Evan Williams 1783 is full-flavored and works both as a cocktail base and stand-alone sipper. We are excited to bring more focus to what is known as the ‘best kept secret’ in the Evan Williams bourbon family.”

As the first licensed commercial distiller in Kentucky, Evan Williams laid the initial groundwork of entrepreneurial success for the Kentucky Bourbon industry, the company says. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience now invites hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown Louisville each year to walk through an experience based on this history.

The Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch relaunch includes a new commercial called “Our Kind of People,” premiering this fall on national broadcast TV and connected TV. New point-of-sale will also feature the tagline, “When you do Bourbon right, people notice,” highlighting recent award. The brand will also prominently feature in digital, social media and in-game advertising through the company’s Major League Baseball post-season partnership.

The new Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch ships nationwide in May with a suggested retail price of $19.99 per 750-ml. bottle.