With a cult status among whiskey connoisseurs around the world, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is an American bourbon whiskey produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky from one single bourbon barrel at a time. It was responsible for kickstarting the super-premium category for bourbon when it was first released in 1984 and has become popular again in recent years after it was featured in the recent John Wick films.
Often hard to find, Blanton’s bourbons are distinctive by their unusually shaped bottles and collectable horse and jockey bottle stoppers.
In this blog, we’ll explore its history and production processes before discovering its full range of expressions. Plus, we’ll dive into what makes Blanton’s so special and find out why it continues to be a coveted favourite in the world of American whiskey.
Brief History
Blanton’s Bourbon traces its roots to Colonel Albert B. Blanton, a pioneering figure in Kentucky's whiskey history. In 1897, Albert began work at the Buffalo Trace Distillery – then known as Old Fire Copper Distillery - at the age of 16. He then spent decades perfecting his craft and working in every role within the distillery before eventually rising to the level of Distillery President.
In the 1940s, Albert began to notice that often the quality of a bourbon from a barrel in one part of the warehouse would far exceed that in another. Often when VIPs and dignitaries would come to visit, he would select and hand bottle bourbon from an exceptional barrel from his favourite spot in the centre of Warehouse H.
Unbeknown to him, this was a practice that would later lay the foundation for Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon.
The Birth of Blanton’s Single Barrel
During Albert’s time at the distillery, he hired a young man named Elmer T. Lee, who decades later rose to the ranks of Master Distiller. One year away from his retirement, he was asked to come up with an idea for a new bourbon. Elmer thought deeply about his time as an apprentice of Albert Blanton’s and recalled the time when Blanton would bottle bourbon from select casks, and so the idea for Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon was born.
In 1984, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon was released and became the world’s first commercially available single barrel bourbon, named in Albert Blanton’s honour. Its release marked a turning point for premium bourbon, and today, Blanton’s is celebrated for its dedication to quality, tradition, and craftsmanship, earning a revered place among American whiskey lovers.
The Distillery
Blanton’s is produced at the world-famous Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Buffalo Trace Distillery, named after an ancient buffalo trackway, is one of the oldest operating distilleries in the USA, having been founded in 1775 by Hancock and Willis Lee.
Today, Buffalo Trace distillery not only produces Blanton’s but also Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, and its own award-winning Buffalo Trace Bourbon. The distillery honours tradition but embraces change and innovation, a strategy that has helped it become the world’s most awarded distillery.
Production
Blanton’s is crafted from a mash bill of corn, rye, and malted barley, all sourced from local farms. The water comes from the Kentucky River, which flows over limestone, enriching it with minerals like calcium and magnesium that help the yeast thrive during fermentation.
It is twice distilled, resulting in a whiskey referred to as ‘white dog’ which is then poured into brand new charred oak barrels.
Maturation and Bottling
Blanton’s bourbons are generally aged for around six to eight years to allow the natural flavours and deep colour time to develop. This is done in the famous Warehouse H.
Warehouse H was commissioned by Albert Blanton just after the end of Prohibition in 1933. It’s Buffalo Trace’s only metal warehouse – or rickhouse, as it tends to be known in the USA. The rickhouse is steam heated to ensure maturation is continuous all year round, ensuring that the bourbon interacts with the oak at a steady rate.
Barrels are then selected based on taste rather than age. Samples are taken from each of the barrels and run through a ‘tasting panel’ to decide when the bourbon is ready.
Rather unusually Blanton’s is bottled one barrel at a time – by hand, which is extremely unusual for a bourbon or indeed any type of whiskey. Each bottle is then sealed, labelled and numbered by hand.
Blanton’s Bottle Stoppers
All Blanton’s bottles have a metal horse and jockey stopper – the recognised trademark of Blanton’s - symbolising the Kentucky tradition of horse racing. Eight different stoppers have been produced each with the figure of a jockey and rider in differing strides and poses resembling the various stages of a horse race.
On the back of each is a letter, and when the eight are put together in a complete set they spell out the word B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S. The N obviously appears twice but both have different figures.
Range
There are currently four expressions in the range.
Original Single Barrel
The original. Blanton’s Original Single Barrel bourbon is made from a mash of corn, rye, and malted barley. This highly coveted bourbon delivers warming notes of nutmeg and spice on the nose before rich notes of baking spices, caramel and oak on the palate. It finishes with a hint of citrus, red berry and pepper.
46.5% ABV
Straight from the Barrel
Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel is crafted for connoisseurs who appreciate the bold complexity of cask strength spirits. The nose reveals rich notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and butter, layered with earthy hints of walnut. On the palate, robust flavours of warm vanilla, oak, toasted pecans, and a rich spiciness emerge, accented by subtle touches of butterscotch and honey.
61.3% ABV
Gold Edition
Crafted for bourbon connoisseurs who value remarkable smoothness and depth in their whiskey, Blanton’s Gold Edition opens with an aroma of spicy rye, vanilla and tobacco. On the palate, spice and dried fruit with hints of oak and vanilla, leading to an exceptionally long finish with hints of pecan, caramel and toffee apple.
51.5% ABV
Special Reserve
Hard to find but a good entry point to single barrel bourbon, Blanton’s Special Reserve features a delicate, floral nose with hints of cedar and raisin, intertwined with soft vanilla undertones. On the palate, it offers a light and airy texture, where flavours of vanilla and toffee mingle with subtle notes of dried fruit and a touch of white pepper on the finish.
40% ABV
At Still Spirit we stock a range of Blanton’s bourbons as well as a wide a range of other bourbons, American whiskey, Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky.
