240-Year-Old Whiskey Brand Was A First Of Its Kind (& Still Loved Today)

Among the smoothest whiskeys to drink straight, Evan Williams Bourbon has earned its place behind bars and on bar carts alike. The label may not chase limited-edition hype or collector drama, yet its soft vanilla cream, caramel chew, and touch of nutmeg remind drinkers why Kentucky bourbon became a classic in the first place. From its buttery texture to that faint oak finish, it's a bottle that feels familiar in the best way.

Heaven Hill Distillery, still family-owned since 1935, produces Evan Williams not far from the site of the original operation. The brand sits comfortably as the second-best-selling Kentucky Straight Bourbon in the world, a longtime heavyweight that continues to outsell flashier newcomers. Order bourbon at the bar like a real connoisseur, and there's a good chance this is the label you'll end up with.

Few realize that the bourbon in their glass shares DNA with the first commercial distillery in Kentucky — a 1783 riverfront operation Evan Williams built long before bourbon had a name for itself. Two centuries later, that same straightforward charm still anchors every glass.

Long before bourbon found its place in American culture, Evan Williams was busy making history on the banks of the Ohio River. Born in Wales in 1755, he arrived in Kentucky around 1780 — when the region was still part of Virginia — and saw opportunity in its overgrown cornfields. Local farmers were producing more than they could ever sell, with no way to ship them out, so Williams did what any good problem-solver with a taste for spirits would do: He distilled it. In 1783, he set up shop along the Ohio River, transforming Kentucky's leftover corn into something far more profitable — whiskey.

The man behind the bottle wasn't just a distiller; he was a character. Williams reportedly brought whiskey to Louisville's earliest city council meetings — a gesture that earned him a following. Despite complaints about the "slop" from his stills, he was soon appointed Harbormaster, overseeing sanitation along the same waterfront where his whiskey was made. He later built the city's first brick courthouse and jail, proving his legacy stretched far beyond the bottle.

Though Williams died in 1810, his name — and spirit — lived on. In 1957, Heaven Hill revived the brand as a tribute to Kentucky's original whiskey pioneer. More than two centuries later, it remains one of the best spirits for the holidays, poured from the same heart of Louisville where it all began.