Blanton's "The Original"

Name: Blanton's "The Original"Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Dumped On: December 19, 2000

Barrel #: 64 (each Barrel Holds about 250 Fifth Bottles of Blanton’s).

Stored in Warehouse: H

Rick #: 10

Proof: 93

Approximate Mash bill: 80% Corn 10% Rye 10% Malted Barley (It is aged in #3 charred Barrels & stored in a Heated Metal Clad Wood Warehouse devoted especially to the single barrel products. They are chill filtered before bottling.).***

Price: $38.50 @ Williams County State Store, Marion, OH.

Bottle: After gently opening the Gold Embossed (with horses and riders) forest green box and peeling away the spiffy brown bag protecting the bottle, one is treated to the prize. The “Holy Hand Grenade” of Bourbon (or so it has been called) comes in a stylish squat 18 sectioned round container with a brown strip label across the midsection. On the label, the dump date, warehouse, rick and actual proof (it is said to vary occasionally) are hand written among the classy script text. The cork finish is accentuated by a minute metallic horse and jockey stretching for victory.

Color: A divine, almost ruby deep red. This, more than any other bourbon I have tried, alone tempts me to have a pull every time I glance at the bottle on the mantle. It is an enticing color.

Nose: Carmel apples, Burning Leaves, Cinnamon Toast. The more I nose the more nutty smells. . . . Like Buttery Pecans & Almonds and Raisins.

Taste: There is a lot more to this bourbon than I could describe. The flavors I could pick out were the Butter Pecans, prunes and the dark fruits of the nose. But there is much more, I am not really doing it much justice. It is Balanced, Everything here belongs.

Finish: Long, warm, smoooooooooooooth, coating and buttery. More almonds & Pecans. Almost Syrupy like real maple syrup.

Mouth feel: Big, Smooth, Like melted butter or Maple Syrup.


Conclusions: First I must say that whether it is craftsmanship at its best or just a marketing scam, I really enjoy the idea of Single Barrel Bourbons. The idea that you have to get every individual barrel right raises the bar of excellence. You don’t have anything to “mingle” it with later, so if ya screwed up, oh well. That means you have to work extra hard on every barrel to get it just right.

And man did they get it just right with this stuff. It is balanced and smooth and special. Everything you taste in your glass belongs. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this bourbon from the first day I became interested in the spirit. Well I firmly believe it in this case. This shit is the real deal. The entry fee may be a bit steep, but it is well worth it. To rip off the STUFF mag line this truly is “ a thoroughbred Bourbon”. Buy Some and treat yourself today.






w00t!

TomC