Blanton's was the first Single Barrel Bourbon released in the WORLD. I think this fact alone feeds into some of the hype of this bottle. In my opinion, it is the best looking bottle out there. I give a lot of credit to Buffalo Trace and their marketing team to have all of the features that show up on this bottle. From the cap down there is something to look at, but the shape of to bottle alone is unique and stands out from other bourbons. Let's talk a little about the top of this bottle. It shows a horse and a jockey and if you look closely at the back foot of the horse you will see a letter. Here's a closer look.
What do these letters mean as far as the Juice inside? Nothing, but collectors like myself want to have all of the letters, for no other reason than to say that they have been able to catch them all. The letters spell out B-L-A-N-T-O-N'-S, yes if you are collecting you need to get two different N's, because they are not the same. Each letter has the horse and jockey at a different point in stride also. Buffalo Trace spent a lot of time focusing on every detail of this bottle, and they deserve credit for the effort they put into this bottle.
With each write up I want to go back to my most memorable experience's with the whiskey, this could be with the chase or the pour of the whiskey, and two experience come to mind with Blanton's. The first occasion has to do with going to a restaurant with some friends. As I always do, I looked through the whiskey menu to see if they had anything of interest. Blanton's was on this menu and was at the same price as a Makers-46 pour, It was 12 USD. This was by far the best pour option for the price. The night was a great night with friends, good food and good whiskey.
The second story, has to do with a friend who had been hunting for a bottle of Blanton's as a special bottle to drink with his brother. He was not able to locate one so I told him about a local store that I saw that had them on the shelf. We went together, he asked about this bottle and the store had the bottle marked up so high that he went away empty handed. I always remember how this friend wanted a bottle and the next time I was able to find it close to retail I grabbed one for him.
Now for the tasting!
Color medium
Legs they coat the glass evenly and travel slowly.
Nose: the first smell is sweet, it made me think back to being a kid and eating a chewy vanilla candy. What’s shocking is the back end smell, this is where you start to get some green fruit a sour apple.
Hand smell (few drops on your hands and rub hands together): I do this because it’s normally where I find the wood smell for me. This actually comes out but it’s more faint. When I think about this bourbon I think of complexity but with this smell test I believe Buffalo Trace has a nice bottle that will appeal to any one who likes a whiskey drink, it stays a safe zone. This give a watered down light oak smell.
Taste: now I taste the oak more than I got on the smell. It has a black pepper spice note. The finish is quite long, it’s on the drier side but leave a great lasting impression. It’s as if you can taste the whiskey after you swallow and try to bring the flavor back.
Mouthfeel is low to medium. This doesn’t have a thick syrupy coating mouth feel. It hits the back of the tongue then travels to the sides.
Burn above average but not overwhelming.
Cost between 55-150
Over all reaction this is a bourbon everyone should try it. With this said it’s retail and secondary markets can make it a tough buy. In the range between 55-70 it’s a great buy, at 70-90 is a ok buy. Anything over that price I highly recommend you try before committing to a full bottle.
Have you tried this bottle? What did you think? Do you have any stories that you would like to share about this bottle?