Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This has been on the to-try list for a while now, so this was a great Christmas present.

Great bottle. Good website. Excellent product placements on Bored To Death (a personal favourite), House Of Cards & Justified. A Sazerac brand related to the Buffalo Trace lineage, Blanton’s has excellent marketing, that’s for sure.

Fortunately, this bourbon backs it up. A single barrel whiskey, drawn unblended or coloured, it rivals single malt scotch as a specific example of bourbon distilling. Very interesting to taste a specific moment of whiskey; it becomes a reference point for other tastings. Here’s what we thought:

colour
Davey – lager
Simon – inside of a crunchie bar
Goran – dark honey

smell
Davey – spicy applesauce
Simon – sweet maple perfume
Goran – slightly saltier nose than regular bourbon, rose, butter

neat
Davey – mild, silky toffee
Simon – honey, maple, char, grill, smoke, sweet
Goran – dry, clean flavour, well balanced, no burn

finish
Davey – warm & buttery
Simon – lingering burn on the tongue
Goran – buttermilk, herbs

splash
Davey – soft, not sweet
Simon – lighter, sweeter, less time on tongue
Goran – loses almost all sweetness

Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 46.5% 750ml – $65.00 – Kentucky

Try it? Yes! Buy it? Yes.