Evan Williams is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by the Heaven Hill company. The product is aged for a minimum of four years (which is more than the two year minimum to be called 'straight' bourbon, but is the minimum requirement for a straight whiskey that does not have an age statement on the label). It has been ranked as one of the world's best selling whiskey brands. Their product line includes flavored variations, about which The New York Times, citing Nielsen's data, wrote "now represent 3 percent of the $1.4 billion whiskey category." Production Although bottled in Bardstown, the product is distilled at the Heaven Hill distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. The "standard issue" Evan Williams bourbon is sold as the mass-market "Black Label" variety. The company also bottles several other varieties, including a "White Label" that is bottled in bond, an "Evan Williams 1783" bourbon that is produced in more limited quantities, and a 7–8 year old single barrel bourbon sold in vintage-dated bottles sealed with black wax. Occasionally available in some regions is a "Green Label" variety that is 80 proof and represents a younger, lighter-bodied version of the bourbon found in "Black Label" bottles at a more affordable price. As of 2010, Evan Williams was the second largest-selling brand of Kentucky straight bourbon (following the market-leading Jim Beam brand) and had the fastest-growing market share among the top-volume American whiskey brands (with a 12.4% sales growth rate), according to a press release issued by the producer citing A.C. Nielsen Scantrack 2010 data. Evan Williams Black is 43% alc/vol (86 U.S. proof), unlike some popular whiskeys which are bottled at the statutory minimum of 40% alc/vol (80 proof). Origin of the name Evan Williams, a Welsh immigrant to North America, was born in Dale, Pembrokeshire, and emigrated to the United States towards the end of the 18th century. Williams settled in Kentucky and began distilling in 1783, in what is now Louisville, Kentucky. A historical marker in Louisville marks the site as Kentucky's first commercial distillery. Williams was elected to serve as the first wharf master of Louisville in 1797. The bottle label of the best-selling variant, the black label, emphasizes this heritage — it bears the inscriptions "Since 1783" and "Kentucky's 1st distiller". However, the inscriptions should not be construed as indicating that the brand has continuously existed since the time