Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Review

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is, as the name implies, aged in a single barrel and then bottled, rather than blended with other barrels before  bottling. Blanton’s is the first bourbon ever marketed as a single barrel offering, hitting the market in 1984.

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is reddish amber with aromas of maple, vanilla and burnt sugar. There’s a bit of citrus and spice in the background. At 93 proof, it’s warm but fairly tame on the palate. There’s some peppery spice, but no discernible burn, and it has flavors of vanilla, orange peels and caramel. It finishes long, dry and warm.

Sipped straight, Blanton’s is a fine drink. Mixed into classic cocktails like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned (these drinks I typically make with rye, but can make an exception here due to Blanton’s rye notes on top of its corn base) it works just fine.

Overall, Blanton’s is a fine whiskey and a good example of a single barrel bourbon. No two barrels will be exactly the same, which is the interesting part. If you score a bottle for yourself, check the label to see when it was bottled, which barrel it came from and in which rickhouse it was stored. My bottle came from barrel number 41.

Stats:
– 46.5% Alcohol by Volume
– $45