You're way off on standard Evan Williams ("black label"). It's very good, even if you don't factor in the remarkably low cost. Calling it "abrasive" or like an "industrial solvent" is way inaccurate. Maybe you're just used to very mellowed and sweet sipping whiskies. That's fine but it doesn't make brawnier whiskies trash as you imply.
As someone who mixes many of his Manhattans and Old Fashioneds with Williams (alongside Rittenhouse 100 rye), and who has tried it blind against Jim Beam black label, Maker's, and Daniels, I endorse wholeheartedly Eric Felten's take in The Wall Street Journal:
"It's a terrific deal. Most of the [inexpensive] bourbons I tasted were barely adolescents -- Beam, for example, spends about four years barrel aging. But Evan Williams is made of whiskey that has been in oak for five to seven years, and the extra age comes through. The nice spicy rye in the mash also comes through, giving the bourbon a dash of cinnamon that keeps the vanilla sweetness from cloying. Evan Williams is a good, solid, no-nonsense bourbon. "
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120916374801546109.html
I've had the single barrel. It's fine, very nice for sipping. But by no means would I use it in the drinks where I use regular Evan Williams. It's a little too mellow for a cocktail (although Esquire came up with an interesting one - basically a Manhattan made with Lillet blanc instead of sweet vermouth - I think they called it a Yellow Dog. You'll notice Lillet is much more meek than a sweet vermouth, even a relaxed Dolin. That way it doesn't overwhelm the soft nine-to-twelve-years-aged Single Barrel).
As I understand it, most American whiskeys don't fare all that well after long aging; 8-12 years is a kind of sweet spot, isn't it?
Dave Wondrich, by the way, is a total bad-ass. His book _Imbibe_ is a supremely readable history and guide to cocktails. Those Esquire cocktail articles are uniformly fantastic.
As someone who mixes many of his Manhattans and Old Fashioneds with Williams (alongside Rittenhouse 100 rye), and who has tried it blind against Jim Beam black label, Maker's, and Daniels, I endorse wholeheartedly Eric Felten's take in The Wall Street Journal:
"It's a terrific deal. Most of the [inexpensive] bourbons I tasted were barely adolescents -- Beam, for example, spends about four years barrel aging. But Evan Williams is made of whiskey that has been in oak for five to seven years, and the extra age comes through. The nice spicy rye in the mash also comes through, giving the bourbon a dash of cinnamon that keeps the vanilla sweetness from cloying. Evan Williams is a good, solid, no-nonsense bourbon. " http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120916374801546109.html
I've had the single barrel. It's fine, very nice for sipping. But by no means would I use it in the drinks where I use regular Evan Williams. It's a little too mellow for a cocktail (although Esquire came up with an interesting one - basically a Manhattan made with Lillet blanc instead of sweet vermouth - I think they called it a Yellow Dog. You'll notice Lillet is much more meek than a sweet vermouth, even a relaxed Dolin. That way it doesn't overwhelm the soft nine-to-twelve-years-aged Single Barrel).
(update - here's a link to the Evan Williams Single Barrel cocktail - http://www.esquire.com/features/how-to-give-a-toast-0212)