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Blanton's

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    Blanton's

    Blanton's. This is one of the most sought-out bourbons today. In fact, it's so popular in some places that it has reached myth status (kind of like the Lochness monster) because no-one has ever seen a bottle. That was the case for me for the last 2 years. My ABC store gets these in every so often, but by the time I could get to the store, the bottles would be gone. We're talking in a matter of hours. I had one store clerk tell me they literally have people who show up at delivery time and will buy the entire shipment of Blanton's. Ridiculous.

    Well, that all changed for me about 3 weeks ago. I walked into my local store to see what they had on hand and was stunned when I saw 5 bottles of the elixir sitting on the top shelf. Eureka! Of course, I bought a bottle. $60. Ouch, but I suppose it could have been worse. I have heard some private stores selling these for almost double the price.

    OK, let's get right to it. Does Blanton's live up to the hype and is it worth the price?

    First of all, I would be remiss to not talk about the bottle. It's probably the coolest bottle you will ever come across. Round and multi-faceted with a simple, yet sophisticated label. The stopper is also unique - it's your standard cork but with a jockey and horse monopoly-like figure on the top. In case you are wondering, there are 8 different Blanton's cork stoppers and yes, there is a "thing" to collect all 8 if you can find them. Or you can go to Buffalo Trace or Ebay and buy a set of stoppers. But that's kind of lame, right? I digress.

    As you may (or may not know) Blanton's is supposedly the first ever single barrel bourbon, meaning the bourbon in the bottle comes from a single cask. It also comes form a specific location in Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace. From what I know, the bourbon is aged 6-8 years. The mashbill has not been publicly revealed but I understand it is likely mashbill #2 which is one of their rye mashbills. It is bottled at 92 proof.

    So, the history, mystique, and bottle are all cool. So, is it worth the $60 price tag? My opinion...... No.

    This is where the excitement ended for me. The nose of this bourbon is very plain. Yes, there is corn, vanilla, oak. But there wasn't as much sweetness as I anticipated. When I pay $60, I expect to be wowed. I wasn't.

    The taste unfortunately wasn't much better. Now, first of all let me say this. This is a good bourbon. It is very smooth. Very smooth. It also has a good chew. But flavors are very muted. Very underwhelming for a $60 bottle. I decided to shelf it for a week and give it another go to see if it got better with some air. Unfortunately, it didn't. Again, smooth. It tastes like bourbon, but it isn't memorable.

    I was bummed, guys and gals. I really had high expectations for this one. I like it about the same as Buffalo Trace. Weller 107, 4 Roses SB, and Henry McKenna 10 yr are superior....and cheaper, some are half the price. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is the same price as Blanton's and blows it out of the water.

    Now, one thing to remember about bourbon, especially single barrel bourbons, is each batch is different. Sometimes very different. You get good bottles, very good bottles, and sometimes you get a bad bottle. With bourbon you pretty much can only control the recipe. Everything else is hands off - the wood, weather, etc. So, maybe I got a bad batch. I'm willing to concede that, because everyone raves about Blanton's. I also believe, however, that a good chunk of that $60 you are paying is for that bottle and stopper. Put the bourbon in a regular bottle and I don't think it gets the same hype. Will I buy another bottle? I don't know. Maybe. It's hard to drop $60 when your first experience was a dud. But then again, maybe my second bottle will be a honey bottle. You never know.

    I do know this... When I finish this bottle, I'm going to keep it and refill it with Evan Williams White label just to screw with people.

    #2
    Right on target. Blanton's is nice, but not 60 bucks nice. I give them points for the cool bottle...

    Comment


      #3
      Agreed. I was a big big Blanton's fan. Always stocked at the BevMo for $45ish. It was my goto "nice" bottle (Bulleit for everyday on the rocks, Basil Hayden's neat if I wanted to step it up). Then about 5 years ago, it was gone. Talked to a few salesmen who said there was a run on it internationally, so it's tough to find here now. Also, just more demand than supply in general. Saw it for $60 about a year ago but wouldn't pull the trigger. It's good, but not that good. ColonialDawg I found for the most part, that every bottle tasted the same (although, I am nowhere close to a bourbon consoeur), so if that bottle wasn't worth the price for you, the next one won't be either.

      Comment


        #4
        Yea unfortunately I have to agree as well. I got into a Blanton's kick a while back but have found it to not be as good as some others I drink. It's like anything else, it got a mystique associated with it and that drove the price upward. Supply and demand.

        We have the same issue here, Total Wine (the huge mega-spirits, wine and beer store) get like 5 bottles in their Wednesday morning delivery and there are literally people lined up to buy them like it's some sort of aphrodisiac potion. Ridiculous. I can certainly do without, lots of other choices. It will probably die out soon and go back to $30 a bottle, who knows.

        Comment


          #5
          Havin never had Blanton's, well, yeah: I certainly have a hankerin to taste of it...

          Meanwhile, I'll jus bide my time with some excellent bourbons/ryes, at right aroun th $30 price point...

          Comment


          • ColonialDawg
            ColonialDawg commented
            Editing a comment
            That $30 pricepoint is kind of the sweet spot for consistently solid bourbon, IMHO. So far, paying more hasn’t really yielded exceptionally better bottles, except for may two - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Makers Mark Cask Strength.

          #6
          I've been trying to snag a Blanton's for a long time and never see one. Mostly for curiosity.

          Right now, Old Forester 1920 is my favorite. It's $50ish.

          I finally scored a Weller 12 year old and am about to mix up a batch of Poor Man's Pappy.

          Comment


          • Buck Flicks
            Buck Flicks commented
            Editing a comment
            Yeah, it was my favorite bourbon of 2018. I just finished off my bottle, time to get another.

            If you liked that, try Eagle Rare 10 year old. It's around $30 and in my opinion, best bang for the buck bourbon.

          • ColonialDawg
            ColonialDawg commented
            Editing a comment
            Well, I have a bottle of ER 10yr and unfortunately it just doesn’t do it for me. It’s my second bottle and neither has really blown me away. Other than Weller 107, I guess I am just not a Buffalo Trace guy.

          • Buck Flicks
            Buck Flicks commented
            Editing a comment
            Understandable. So far, I haven't had a BT bourbon yet that I haven't liked, both the wheated bourbons and the high rye bourbons. We all have different tastes.

          #7
          I was also let down Blanton's...way over-priced. I think you're paying for a fancy bottle. A friend told me to keep the horse statue thing - he said there's collectors that buy & sell them.

          I'm also a HM fan, good value there.

          Comment


            #8
            My liquor Warehose has Buffalo Trace at $22.95. Works for me. Evan Williams single barrel at 26 and EC at 25. I'm good.

            Comment


              #9
              I happen to like Blantons, but will buy Eagle Rare in its place anytime and twice on sundays. For the money, MM Private Reserve has Blantons beat

              Comment


              • ColonialDawg
                ColonialDawg commented
                Editing a comment
                Eagle Rare is better than Blanton’s. Weller 107 is, for me, the best of the Buffalo Trace bourbons I have had. EH Taylor is probably my second favorite.

                MM Cask Strength is excellent, and $10 cheaper than Blanton’s.

              #10
              Since every bottle can be different, I kept trying until I had all the corks. And, yes, each cork came from a bottle I paid for and drank. No free Blanton's stoppers for me. Can you tell, I love Blanton? Also, the wood I used to make the cork display came from Makers Mark. Click image for larger version

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              Comment


              • ColonialDawg
                ColonialDawg commented
                Editing a comment
                No denying the bottle and unique cork stoppers are cool. I think this is the big reason Blanton’s costs $60. Any other bottle and it would probably only be worth half the price (and even then there are other $30 bourbons I would rather have). Imagine if Weller 107 came in a bottle like this...

              • ColonialDawg
                ColonialDawg commented
                Editing a comment
                By the way, I really like your display. Very classy.

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