Perhaps few bottles command the collectability of Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon. These single barrel expressions of Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill #2 (more rye – albeit really low high rye at 12%-15%) are well known for not only the solid bourbon they contain, but also their darling little horse toppers that you can collect. Get all 8, and you can spell Blanton’s. Once upon a time, this experience was probably fairly fun and un-stressful. Go to the store, sort through the toppers, and slowly build your set. Now the least stressful ways you can do this are:
- Buy Them From Buffalo Trace – They’re over $70 a set – but easy to get them all! [This is not an affiliate link]
- Stand in line for hours, and slowly swap bottles or collect the right toppers bottle by bottle.
- Buy them at secondary rates ranging from $110 – $130 a bottle (nearly double SRP)
So is it worth it to drink all this bourbon or to buy them to collect them all? How good is the bourbon inside this amazingly crafted bottle?
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon
- Mash Bill: Corn + 12 – 15% Rye (Mash Bill #2)
- Dumped: 12-21-17
- Barrel No: 877
- Rick No.: 23
- Warehouse: H
- Proof: 93 (A.B.V. 46.5%)
Sight: Deep Gold to Burnished
Smell: The nose has a pleasant amount of vanilla mixed with fresh cherries and orange zest. There’s a lot of caramel and sugar notes laced with fruity, crushed raspberries berries and gentle notes of oak. The nose is actually surprisingly fruity, with an almost fruit punch like amount of fruits blending in behind the primarily vanilla front. Despite the low proof, there’s a surprising whiff of heat from time to time.
Sip: The body is smooth and balanced with just a hint of sweetness. The vanilla comes through with touches of orange, citrus, and cherry. There are pleasant notes of berries and hints of oak.
Savor: On the finish there’s a pop of citrus zest followed by a wave of vanilla ranging from extract to bean. The finish lingers into a slightly toasty oak barrels with that pastry like dessert vanilla.
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon is nice, simple, smooth, and pleasantly fragrant. It owes a lot to that strong vanilla character, that laces from the nose through the finish. The nose is somewhat more enticing than the body, but the smoothness makes it pleasant to return to and sip over and over. If you’re not thinking about it, or don’t want to think about it, it’s a nice bottle to just sip.
In Cocktails
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon works better than it would have seemed possible in a Manhattan. The fruitier notes on the nose are given space to expand, splitting out into amazingly bombastic crushed raspberries, blueberry syrup, and fresh cherries. Notes of gentle spice come in, and this powerful way of floral, sweet vanilla slides through with a silky elegance. The result is a truly composed drink, that really sings on every note.
In Review – Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon
While I wish I could say that I think Blanton’s is worth the hunt and premium to purchase, I just can’t say that I find it interesting enough that I’d like to hunt it down over and over again to drink neat. In a cocktail, it really sings, but it doesn’t provide enough value to justify it over a Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare Manhattan. If you want to even stretch outside the brand, it a $20 more expensive Manhattan than Four Roses Single Barrel. That’s a tough pill to swallow if you can even find it.