It is hard to believe, I’ve been doing this blog for almost 3 years now, and drinking small batch bourbon for many years before that, but I have never had a Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon…until now. This one has always slipped through the proverbial cracks in the pavement with me. I’ve seen it at the store, on shelves at bars, and at friends (even when I had full reign over the selection) and it never rose to the top. It just wasn’t time, I guess.
Well a couple weeks ago my buddy Chad and I went out on a pub crawl with a rep from Uinta Brewing who was in town from SLC, and we had a great time. We sampled a few local brews, then went to another place that had a selection of sours and had a few there, including my new favorite Tart Lychee. As we were running out of sour options Chad had a great idea to go over to the Matador, a Tequila bar, and sample some artisan tequilas. That was great.
The Rep had to take off, but Chad and I were still wanting to try some different things. They had a small selection of whiskeys so we looked at what they had to offer. We started with a whiskey I had had a bunch of times, I can’t even recall what it was. Then we looked around and found this bottle of Blantons. This time I wasn’t going to let it slip through the cracks. I ordered a shot for the two of us, and finally I had my opportunity to give it a try.
The most striking feature of this bourbon was how sweet it was. As if you could almost taste the corn in the mash. Not sickeningly sweet like American Honey or something similar, but really pleasantly sweet. At mid palate there was a slight char with a touch of leather which gave way to a smooth caramel and vanilla finish. While this whiskey was 93 proof, it was quite tame on the finish, with a present but understated burn. All in all it was a nice change of pace from the high rye bourbons and wheat whiskeys that tend to dominate the whiskey landscape, especially here in Idaho where the selection is so limited and controlled by people who aren’t whiskey enthusiasts.
So if you want a bourbon that is loaded with flavor and won’t melt your face off, this is a really nice choice. With as sweet as it was, I would think this whiskey would hold up quite nicely on the rocks. Next time I may throw a cube or two in the mix.
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
best tag ever: it won’t melt your face off. Don wins the internet.
It really wont. I give as evidence, my face. Still intact and beauriful as ever. I forgot to mention the cost is on the upper end, about $40 to $50 a bottle, and in washington probably about $300. Sorry Evan, WA sucks for booze.
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Dude – this is the best ever bourbon in my opinion. Thanks for reviewing – if I could afford it, it would be in my glass every weekend.
Like i said it is a nice change of pace. I kinda like having my face melted off on occasion, but sometomes i just want a nice flavorful whiskey without it being too challenging, and this would fit the bill quite nicely.
At a local bar last Christmas I noticed their 10′ tree solely decorated with small metal galloping horses (corks for Blanton’s). I asked the owner what his deal with horses was and he gave me a shot of this stuff. It was an awesome Christmas vacation! A very smooth and delicate bourbon for the ABV. New to the blog but enjoying the posts!
Don – I typically bypass Blantons since it’s higher priced than many comparable bourbons (proof/age).