Hello again, it’s your humble reviewer here to bring a revered and very special edition of my not-so-weekly whiskey wednesday. It was very hard for me to find the right props, set, and expression to suit this whiskey, so I ended up taking another Dungeons and Dragons themed photo, since painting minis is what your old boy is up to tonight. This bottle is quite the doozy, coming in a relatively rare quantity; nearly impossible to find here in Utah.
Blanton’s Single Barrel
Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Frankfort, KY
$59.99
46.2% / 93 Proof
Nose - Incredible. Truly classic bourbon with flourishes of cherry, honey, and brown sugar. More classic notes of vanilla and caramel available, but I think the cherry and dark fruit scents really make this bottle shine.
Palette - Explosive the second it hits the tastebuds, it’s like a warm jolly rancher mixed with werthers caramel candy. Absolutely lovely to drink, well balanced and extremely friendly, no hasty flavors whatsoever.
Finish - the finish is soft and subtle, with slight warmth and a recurring dark fruit flavor that stays in the mouth for quite some time, like little fireworks that didn’t go off during the crescendo.
Thoughts - Blanton’s Single Barrel is a bottle that is highly sought after. It’s not the most expensive I own, not by a long shot, but it is absolutely one of the rarest I own, when considering supply and demand. Similar to some of the big names like Pappy Van Winkle - but priced much more reasonably - the bottle shape itself is something of an artform. The jewel-like presentation matches the profile of the flavorful bourbon, and the hand-written barrel and bottle info is a lovely touch that really adds to both the aesthetic and perceived value of the whiskey. The small metal rider on the large cork plug adds a hefty, durable weight to the experience. The rider statuette itself is semi-unique per bottle, changing pose to the different stages of a rider on a horse with corresponding B - L - A - N - T - O -N - S markers on each. Some true collectors search far and wide to complete their collection of bottle toppers!
I think this whiskey has a reputation that is well earned. Sure there may be some more intricate, deeper bourbons out there that are much more readily available, but the rarity and flavor of this particular barrel has made me a huge fan, if not a hoarder of every possible drop; this won’t be one for sharing - sorry droogs.
It was quite an interesting story on how I found the bottle as well. I was lucky enough to go to the opening day of a new liquor store not 5 minutes away from my current residence, something I’d been looking forward to for a very long time. When I walked in, I checked the cabinets, the glass counters, every section I could find… Nothing that I couldn’t find anywhere else, in greater numbers even. I was quite disappointed that this store has such a poor selection, and I conveyed this disappointment (respectfully) to one of the managers of the establishment, asking if they would ever offer any more unique whiskeys. The answer I got was somewhat cryptic, maybe even a teaser of what’s to come: “Oh, we’re just opening up, come back and check in a few weeks and we might have something you’d like.”
Wow, were they right. On a quick party stocking visit with my girlfriend, I instinctively check behind the lock and glass. There was a particular row that was empty from my vantage point, so I had to kneel to get a better view of anything below; My jaw dropped at what I saw; The subject of this review was sitting, shoved back against the very edge of the wall. I told the attendant immediately that I’d like to have it set behind the counter, and the fella actually seemed a bit jealous, maybe that was one he was trying to save for himself? I’ll never know, but I was sure to let the manager I had spoken with earlier that I was very humbled and excited to see they up’ed the quality of their selection. Ever since then, there has been a steady flow of great bottles I’ve been eyeing, unfortunately not able to catch them all, but very happy with what I was able to get my hands on.