Blanton's single barrel thoughts

[thunderhead357]

Just wonder what the general opinion of this bourbon is on the fourms. I just picked up my first bottled never seen it up here also picked up ogd 100 proof because of this site I hear of it but never see it. My go to is wt101 I really enjoy the rate breed and four roses a lot so I'm hoping this blantons is good either way I just was wondering done opinions

[Richnimrod]

My experience, for what little it's worth is tyat Blanton's can be lovely.... or not. Having had only three bottles of it, I have only limited experience. One bottle was just wonderful, the next not quite that lovely, but pretty good. The last one I bought was quite 'oily' and had an off-putting undertaste. So there you go. Single barrels can be a bit of a crap-shoot; but I felt at this price the lower end should have been better than that last one.... thus it was ....'the last one'.

[Flyfish]

Just wonder what the general opinion of this bourbon is on the fourms....

The orthodox SB response is that only one "general opinion" really matters--yours. Open the bottle and tell us what your opinion is. You didn't hesitate to tell us you like WT and Rare Breed so don't be shy about sharing your opinion of Blanton's. Will you like it more--or less--if the highly opinionated among us love it--or hate it?

[Clavius]

Good stuff. Over-priced.

[squire]

I've never been disappointed by Blantons but I refuse to pay extra for the bottle.

[Pudsky]

There was a store select around me that was really, really good. Actually, I have never had a bottle of Blanton's I didn't like. But that store select was $41.99. I bought probably 6 over the last year at that price, and I still have one in the bunker. But that barrel ran out, and the price is now $52 or something like that. Thats too much, I'd buy it all day long at $42, but $50 and over is too much.

[flahute]

I like it but don't love it. There's nothing objectionable about it, but I don't find myself craving it or being wowed by it so for $55 it's a no go for me now.

[flaminiom]

I like Blanton's a lot, but it's $60 here. I'm sipping some $20 WT101 right now and no one could convince me Blanton's is 3x better.

[jonnyd]

Stuff that is just as good or better for cheaper. Smoothness is overrated.

[Sydney BJW]

In Australia it is well priced in comparison to others. You can usually get it for around $60 - $65 Australian dollars. That compares well when Russell Reserve is the same price, Eagle Rare 10 are Wild Turkey rare breed are around $70-$75, Elmer Lee is $95 and now that there is a new distributor Evan Williams Single Barrel that used to be $50 is now $110.

I have had many bottles of Blanton and I have liked them all, some have been better than others. We also get a green label Blanton's bottle at 40% and around $45, considering you pay about $37 for 37% Jim Beam White in our country it is in my opinion the best value bourbon in Australia.

[Eric B]

It's priced outside my comfort level at around $55 and becoming scarce... Not worth the effort or money in my opinion. On another note, is it against forum decorum to ask what others think of a whiskey?

[squire]

Not at all Eric, discussing whisky is what we're about here and asking for opinions is how the conversation is continued.

[risenc]

SydneyBJW: which Blanton's expressions can you get there? Is it just the basic, or all four? Blanton's Straight From the Barrel is one of my all time favorites.

[risenc]

Sorry -- I just retread your post. Ignore me.

[upStomp]

While Blanton's was one of my favorites, I don't buy it often because I don't think it's a very good value. Elmer T. Lee offered much of the same experience for $10-$15 less, and it was more consistent. Unfortunately, for now it's tough to come by. Nowadays when I want a higher rye bourbon (compared to BT Mashbill #1) I reach for Four Roses anyway - their single barrel is $5-$10 cheaper around here and is higher proof.

[jwvoytus]

I hit the BT tour at their facility last week, and the guide mentioned that Blanton's is meant to be different from bottle to bottle. The label shows the barrel, rick, etc. so that the drinker can see if those variables fit the drinker's taste profile. So one barrel might be from up high, another from down low, and you can experiment on your own. At $50+ per bottle, it's an expensive experiment.

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[scratchline]

Like many people, I don't buy Blanton's because of the price. That said, a few weeks ago I was in Whiskey Thieves, a bar in San Francisco. I started with a pour of barrel proof wheat whiskey from Dry Fly in Washington. Then moved on to Rock Hill Farms and finished with Blanton's. The Blanton's was by far and away the best whiskey of the night. So good in fact that I picked up a bottle a couple of days later. With the proliferation of labels and the fierce competition in the bourbon biz right now, it's easy to forget or dismiss how fantastic some of the older players are. I remember buying Blanton's in the early 90's for around 40 bucks a bottle in NH state liquor stores. That was the upper end of the market back then. Now Baker's and Booker's and Blanton's are all around the 50 buck mark and many consider that too high. Many of those same people will pay more, and sometimes much more, for barrel proof, or not, whiskey with more years, or not, of age on it. Age and proof have become two of the bigger dragons that buyers are willing to chase around the American whiskey market. And name, of course, mainly Van Winkle. I'd just as soon chase the ponies atop Blanton's.

For what it's worth, in some places anyway, you may HAVE to chase Blanton's. While I was in that San Fran bar, I learned that BT was now allocating their products so tightly that in order to get the ordinary Buffalo Trace bourbon, the bar was being asked to commit to buying a lot of Rain vodka. They simply couldn't sell Rain so they were moving to more HH product. Blanton's is hard to find in liquor stores around here, along with Baby Saz and ETL. I do think Blanton's is over-priced but I think that's true of almost every bottle that's on the shelf right now. And I like the taste and the bottle so I'll continue to buy it for special occasions or as a gift.

And my wife brought a couple of Straight From the Barrel bottles back from London. I'm looking forward to those!

-Mike

Edited April 23, 2014 by scratchline

[squire]

Straight from the Barrel is something I would like to try. Good post Mike, it's valuable to remember the good ones that are at times overlooked.

[The Black Tot]

Tried the Rain when I was at BT last month. As vodka goes, it was an easy drinker. But wow on all these allocation carrots/whips.

I'm headed over to London later this summer and hope to get a Blanton's Gold and Barrel Proof.

tbt

[mbroo5880i]

I like Blanton's. Much like everyone else, the price keeps me from buying it more often. I was lucky enough to have purchased my current bottle for $42. I would probably buy it more often if that were the regular price.

[Pudsky]

I saw Blanton's on the shelf today for $60. Wow, easy to pass up at that price.

[JonRob]

Was at the the store today and noticed how it has now jumped all the way to $55!

Way to expensive for what it is. It looks like good BT juice is getting more expensive and or harder to find.

Edited April 25, 2014 by JonRob

[BFerguson]

Not a often bought item at the store for me, which seems to be the popular opinion here.

That being said, a bottle of this does list as one of my all time favorite pours. Was staying at the Don Cesar on the gulf coast, and had a fantastic pour of this, tasted like orange honey-sweet, thick, viscous. Stunning pour. . Blew me away. Way better than the Pappy 23 i also had there.

Of course, the stunning waitress serving it could have added to the experience. :grin:. Funny enough, the misses and her got along great!

B

[KJND]

I've had some recent bottles from the last two years and thought it to be a decent pour. Have located a bottle from '08, anyone that has sampled or have bottles from that year care to chime in on if it was better than the current bottles?

It's $53 plus tax for the bottle there and while higher than I care to pay for it I could justify an increase in this case.

Thanks for any help!

[MauiSon]

Certainly one of my favorites, especially at $34. I don't know if that price will hold here for much longer (only one place left), but I'm stocked up.