Founding of Evan Williams Distillery

Background. Evan Williams is today a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by the Heaven Hill company, although the product is actually distilled at the Heaven Hill distillery in Louisville. The brand's heritage narrative centers on Williams himself, whom the black-label bottle presents as "Kentucky's 1st distiller" active "Since 1783."

The 1783 Claim. According to the sourced account, Williams settled in Kentucky and began distilling in 1783, in what is now Louisville, Kentucky — not Bardstown. The best-selling black-label bottle reinforces this dating with the inscriptions "Since 1783" and "Kentucky's 1st distiller," tying the modern brand to that founding year.

Disputed Dating. The 1783 dating has been challenged. A critic cited in the sources argued that a record of Williams traveling from London to Philadelphia in May 1794 disproves the early date, showing that Williams could only have begun his distillery substantially later than 1783. The sources present this as a direct objection to the brand's heritage claim.