• 90

Blanton's Gold Edition Bourbon Whiskey (700ml)

Kentucky, UNITED STATES
$150. 00
Bottle
$1800.00 Dozen
ABV: 51.5%

Blanton’s has its place in history as being the first Single Barrel Bourbon, setting the standard for others to follow by creating a new 'super-premium' bourbon category. Quite simply, the product is aged in one barrel, and unlike most others, never blended with other bourbon. The principle behind the concept is that each barrel of Bourbon varies, and the whiskey in it acquires a slightly different flavour profile. Furthermore, where barrels are stored in a warehouse, the immediate environment can make a considerable impact on how the whiskey matures. The master distiller periodically samples the whiskey in barrels, especially those barrels in the best part of the warehouse. (Usually this is the very center of the warehouse, called 'the heart' of the warehouse. ) Those barrels that are discovered to contain unusually fine whiskey are recorded and tracked with care. There is no margin for error because there is no way to compensate for flavour by mixing the spirit with any other liquid at a later period. At considerable expense to the distillery, the selected barrels are allowed to mature in years far beyond the average age of Bourbon. When they are at their peak of perfection, they are taken from the warehouse -- one by one -- and bottled one barrel at a time and then packaged by hand. In this way the cream of the crop, so to speak, becomes single barrel Bourbon. The intended result is a new classic every time: unfiltered, uncut - Bourbon of a most individual expression. As a consequence, each bottling can vary in style and flavour.
- Notes partly sourced from www.straightbourbon.com

Blanton's first Single Barrel release was in 1984. It was named after Colonel Albert Bacon Blanton, who in 1901 at the age of twenty became superintendent of the distillery. It was reportedly a labor of love for Blanton who led the enterprise as the only working distillery in Kentucky during Prohibition (1920 to 1933) and had the distillery back and running within 24 hours of the floodwaters subsiding following the great flood of 1937. Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee, Member of the Master Distiller's Hall of Fame, oversaw the introduction of single barrel bourbons. Current Master Distiller, Gary Gayheart, carries on the tradition. All Blanton's Bourbons are superbly packaged in a jewel-like decanter. The tiny horse and jockey on the bottle stoppers have become a trademark of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. Blanton's have produced a collectors edition set of eight different stoppers, with horse and jockey in different strides and poses. Each stopper is marked with a single letter that spells Blanton’s when the set has been completed.

As each bottling of Blanton's will vary in style, the below tasting notes and alcohol volume are only indicative.

Tasting Note:  Amber gold in colour. The whiskey demonstrates its age with distinct tears forming down the sides of the glass. The powerful and dry nose is marked by honey, vanilla and spices - particularly pronounced are cinnamon and clove. The palate entry is at once round and full, marked by butter-menthol, citrus and spice over a charry oak background. The long finish evokes toffee apple, followed by a very sweet, soft butter-menthol aftertaste. An exceptional bourbon experience. 51.5% Alc./Vol.

Further Notes... On the nose aromas of marmalade, honeycomb, polished leather and a wisp of rye. A zillion little flavour explosions erupt around the palate, offering hints of ginger amid the Demerara oak and sweet corn. It dries quickly with some deft liquorice. My first whiskey of a new tasting day: the sun is shining, the birds are singing and my tastebuds are being made love to. What a wonderful world. 51.5% Alc/Vol.
Rating: 89
- tasting note sourced from Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible, 2006.

How We Score the Bourbons: The rating  for each whiskey is calculated using a sample drawn from a variety of whiskey review sources, including current data from the following: (1) Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible; (2) Whisky Magazine (www.whiskymag.com) ; (3) www.tastings.com. Scores have been averaged to arrive at a final rating with the maximum score being 100.