Review #55 - Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

Today we're looking at Blanton's, one of the most hyped yet still semi-obtainable bourbons on the market. While it should be priced around $65 according to the producer, it's not uncommon to see this upwards of $100, sometimes even closer to $200, depending on how bold the store selling it is. Because of the limited availability and premium pricing, the value here could be hindered unless we're really blown away by the taste.

Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon started back in the mid-1980s, and is said to be the world's first commercially available single barrel bourbon offering. Generally aged 6 to 8 years and bottled at a solid 46.5% ABV for the standard release, we can expect plenty of flavor and some refinement/flavor development based on the specs.

Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

USA - Bourbon

Current Locally Available Price: USD 160 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 46.5% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 8 months; bottles at 10%, 50%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Pretty classic profile here - sweetness, plenty of cherry and vanilla, and a decent amount of oak. As it opens up, that wood turns slightly more dry, but other sweet notes come forward, too: mild caramel, raw sugar, brown sugar, and some pie crust. There is a little bit of dusty corn grain and old worn leather, and at the end, we're finding some wood spice and cinnamon.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, with plenty of oak up front, not as sweet at the nose led us to believe. There are some prickly tannins showing up at the back of the palate, but we also have nice sugar notes to pick through: maple syrup, molasses, boozy brown sugar, and caramel all come to mind. Once we even found a subtle watermelon note, but it didn't stick around too long. Generally speaking, well balanced and not too punchy.

Finish: The finish is medium length, and there is mild heat with more of that dry oak from the palate. Light sweetness from brown sugar and baking spice, but the caramel has disappeared, leaving space for more of the dark cherry note from the nose. It's oily and makes the mouth salivate, and there is just a bit of puckering in the cheeks from the oak, maybe maple wood this time.

Final Note: This is a nice sipper with a pretty classic bourbon profile and a few nicely developed flavor notes to dive into. Is it the most complex whisky on the market? No, far from it, but that isn't what it's meant to be, either. Is this a good value at the RRP around $65? Eh, maybe - we wouldn't mind paying that for it, but would be more comfortable paying $50 to $60. Would we be tempted to pick this up for the 'available' prices in our area, more like $100 or $150 or $200? It's a resounding 'no.'

Our Average Rating: 6.6 / 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: 4.75