Blanton's was the first commercially available single barrel offering back in 1984, it even says 'The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey on the neck tag'. Others followed suit soon thereafter, like one of our favorites, Wild Turkey Kentuck Spirit. For many years, Blanton's sat on shelves at $25, ignored by most as bourbon wasn't the juggernaut we know it to be today. As the bourbon boom accelerated, Blanton's became one of the more popular bourbons on the market, to the point that these days, fools ...excuse me, people are paying $80 - $100 for the 93 proof variant and it is often seen on shelves for $250 or more. Ridiculous!
I like Blanton's just fine and at or near retail, $60 or so, I'd pretty much always buy it. I enjoy it and it's fun with non-whiskey geek friends who come over, it's the one they are always anxious to taste. It's also fun to let them taste next to a $23 bottle of Wild Turkey 101 for some perspective and enlightenment around spending more does not always mean getting better booze. But I have always drawn the line for Blanton's around $60. It just isn't good enough to pay more for me. There are other Buffalo Trace bourbons such as Eagle Rare that can still be found for less and in my mind, taste as good or even better. Heck, Eagle Rare is age stated at 10 years! Sure, it's the other mashbill and 3 proof points less but I've never noticed a big difference in those two mashbills nor does 90 vs 93 proof make a material difference to me.
These days, you can also get private barrel picks of Blanton's but does that matter as much with a whiskey that is always a single-barrel offering? Do you think they are rolling out better barrels for restaurants and liquor stores to choose from than they are using in their own release? Private picks had already changed from the days of a distillery hauling out 8 - 12 barrels to choose from. I think most stores now just have samples sent to the store for choosing a single barrel. Do you really think Buffalo Trace is thoughtfully tasting through all of those sample bottles before sending them to your local store? Seems a long shot to me but let's find out.
Today we taste a Blanton's store pick from Hazel's Beverage World here in Boulder, CO, and taste it next to a standard release Blanton's that Dan bought at a store near his home.
Is one better than the other? What say you, Colonel Albert B. Blanton?
Cheers!
