Review #369 - Blanton's Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Omerta'

Wiseguy Lounge Barrel Pick Series: Part 1 of 20

The Wiseguy Lounge - this is a small chain of speakeasy-styled bars in the Midwest US, often paired with a pizza joint known as Goodfellas. Their locations, adorned with dim lighting and a variety of 1920s and mob parlor-style decor, are extensive American whisky libraries, and the chain also does quite a few single barrel picks, which they sell by the dram and by the bottle at these locations. In this series, we'll be looking at several of them that we've tried over the last couple of years.

While many of the barrel picks done by the Wiseguy Lounge sport the names of famous gangsters or mob characters, such as John Dillinger, some of their bottles use other terms associated with the mob or crime family lore. That's the case here: this pick is named 'Omerta,' which is an Italian word meaning 'silence,' or the mob practice of refusing to divulge information to the authorities.

This Blanton's single barrel pick is bottled at the usual 93 proof (46.5% ABV), and like all Blanton's barrels, it hails from Buffalo Trace's Warehouse H. This pick was dumped from the barrel and bottled in October of 2022.

Review #369 - Blanton's Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Omerta'

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 100 (2024)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 46.5% ABV

Details: Warehouse H, rick no. 2, barrel 18; dumped on October 10, 2022

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 60% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Baking spices start us out: clove and nutmeg, specifically. There's some mild oak influence, which is lighter at first, but it becomes a little stronger with time - it's drying oak. This isn't too fruit-forward, like some Buffalo Trace distillate can be - just little hints of grape in the background at first, though a sweet wine note grows with time.

Palate: A medium thickness mouthfeel; oak is a little stronger on the palate, up to a medium level. The whole palate is rounded and the flavors are nicely integrated, if a bit soft; tastes of syrup, clove, brown sugar, and a dark fruit like plum mingle.

Finish: Softer, quite rounded and 'smooth,' with some vanilla baking notes. Fruit becomes a bit more of a theme in the finish, but not quite as we expected: there's grape, but it's tart white grape, and maybe some tannic grape skins. In the aftertaste, it's smooth caramel.

Final Note: A nice, mellow bourbon without too many daring flavors, but it is a tasty sipper. The strength is fine, but it's too low to convey the flavors with much punch. Then again, it does seem more refined - maybe that's what you're looking for when ordering a pour of Blanton's.

Value is okay - it's a little expensive, as there's generally a bit of a markup on these single barrel picks. We didn't find this to be too different in quality from the standard Blanton's release, so if you have the chance to get one of those at $60 to $75, it might be a slightly better deal.

Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.03

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.