Blanton's "The Original" Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey (1 bottle limit) (750ml)

Oh, that rickhouse smell: charred oak, leather, vanilla, and a slight hint of coconut. Then it’s caramel, toasted walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and moon pie, with hints of black licorice and cumin. Strong tobacco and ginger notes present themselves just before a delightful finish with hints of crème brûlée and vanilla custard. This is a regular sipper in my house. (FM, Fall 2017)

The special Blanton's single barrel has been a staple of any solid back bar since its release in 1984. Truly a pioneering effort from the new owners of the George T Stagg distillery as it was known at the time, Blanton's was indeed the first single barrel to be marketed by any Kentucky distillery since before prohibition. Despite coming from the standard "Buffalo Trace" recipe, Blanton's is unique for being drawn from Warehouse H, the only warehouse on the property built from metal. The metal warehouses absorb more heat and therefor add something extra special to the aging liquid inside. Appropriately enough this warehouse was commissioned by Albert Blanton, one of the early owners of this very old distillery. Despite spending decades under the radar the recent explosion in interest in bourbon has hit the Blanton's stocks hard. Production on this brand is capped due to the single barrel requirements, each barrel must be dumped and bottles filled by hand. Needless to say, we've had a very hard time keeping it on our shelves, often seeing several months without a single bottle to sell. More recently, the product has been allocated to levels similar to the ultra-popular Weller brands, i.e. 12 bottles per week. Blanton's being a single barrel is never quite exactly the same, but it's ALWAYS delicious. Certain bottles, coming from the cherry casks, are absolutely exquisite. Expect rich caramelized sugar, strong notes of vanilla, and spicy dried citrus peel. The palate typically exhibits powerful notes of baking spice, cloves, cinnamon, and soft dried fruits with that rich sweetness in the background to balance the intensity of the spice. An American classic.