Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

“I’ll Have the One With the Horse on the Cork!”

Blanton’s Info:
Distillery: Buffalo Trace (Kentucky)
ABV: 46.5% (93 Proof)
Price Point:  $$$ (About $50+)
Preferred Way to Drink: Neat

I just recently had the pleasure of experiencing Blanton’s for the first time when Tammy and I went with our friends, Greg & RaeLynn to see a show at The Triple Door. Greg is a fellow trumpet player and a lover of good whiskey. He treated me to shot of Blanton’s which I was very grateful for.

Blanton’s is a very smooth and great tasting single barrel bourbon. It had a nice body with a limited alcohol taste. Some might say that it is a bit spicier than your typical bourbon (probably coming from a slightly higher rye content) but I tend to like a high rye bourbon so this didn’t surprise me a bit. You can taste the malt and caramel and a bit of sweetness in the body, which creates a well balanced taste.

This one I drank neat since I was fearful of over diluting it with water or ice, but next time I’ll take a chance and try a cube or 2 to see how it opens up.  Overall I believe this would be a good whiskey to try for those who want to understand what a smooth tasting whiskey is.

Background:

In 1984, The Buffalo Trace Distillery was to launch the first single barrel bourbon in America.  It seemed fitting to name this iconic spirit  in honor of Col. Albert B Blanton, the man who spent 55 years of his life producing fine whiskey at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Col. Blanton started working at the distillery in 1897 when he was 16 years old.  Before he was 20 he became superintendent and by 1921 he became president of the distillery. Under Blanton’s guidance, their distillery was one of only 4 US distilleries that continued to make whiskey during Prohibition (1920-1933) with a special government permit. His leadership also kept the distillery operational during the lean times of the depression and during World War II when it was required to produce straight alchohol for military purposes.

Col. Blanton was a bourbon aristocrat who was wedded to the production of straight Kentucky bourbon and believed blends to be inferior. A bourbon traditionalist at heart, he occasionally produced and bottled a single barrel bourbon, which he held these special bottles in reserve for himself and for sharing with a few select friends.

Col. Blanton passed away in 1959 after spending over 50 years of his life dedicated to the craft of distilling superior bourbons.