Blanton’s is known as the original single-barrel bourbon, but is there a single best version of it?

It’s a question I wanted to answer because Blanton’s is one of the most popular lineups in all of bourbon. It’s certainly one of the most frequently cited in movies like John Wick and TV shows like The Big Bang Theory.

To cover our bases, the Blanton’s brand was launched in 1984, thanks to Elmer T. Lee, who was the Master Distiller at Buffalo Trace at the time. The name is an homage to Albert Bacon Blanton, who served as the president of what was then known as the George T. Stagg Distillery from 1921 to 1943. Blanton, or Colonel Blanton as he was affectionately known, was famed not only for guiding the distillery through the difficulty of the Prohibition years, but also for drawing bourbon from his favorite barrels to share with friends. It was his penchant for the latter that helped give rise to the creation and appreciation of what we know today as single-barrel bourbon.

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon’s distinctive bottle and topper have since become iconic, signaling luxury and enticing collectors with the fact that each topper is adorned with one of the letters in the expression’s name. As a result, fans have taken to seeking out specific bottles to “complete their collection” and spell out Blanton’s, even buying special cases to display their efforts proudly. For what it’s worth, it’s a cool touch and features a horse and a jockey in the varying stages of a race with each letter fixed at the base.

With all that said, however, you can’t drink the history, the glass, or the topper. So, let’s dive into how they taste!

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9. Blanton’s Takara Black

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $210

The Whiskey:

Blanton’s Takara Black is essentially the same as Blanton’s Special Reserve (Green Label) Bourbon. The only difference is that this one is limited to the Japanese export market, which makes it a bit harder to track down. Proofed at 40% ABV, this matches Blanton’s Special Reserve as the lowest proof expression in the lineup.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is a fairly muted affair with washed-out walnuts and dilute butterscotch notes leading the way. Vanilla extract, soft oak, and dried corn husk aromas soon follow.

Palate: Once on the palate, this whiskey remains restrained with the corn husk notes seizing the lead as accents of vanilla, sorghum, and dilute butterscotch tug at the edges of the tongue. The mouthfeel is the most disappointing aspect, however, as those flavors work well enough together, but the lean texture of the whiskey doesn’t give them enough runway to take flight.

Finish: The finish here has faint wintry spices and corn husk notes, which take a turn toward roasted almonds as it quickly fades from the palate.

Bottom Line:

I’ll shoot you straight, this is an expression that you can skip in the lineup. While it’s essentially the same whiskey as the next entry on this list, this one is positioned at the back because it’s typically priced a bit higher at specialty shops due to its slightly lower availability in the American and European markets.

8. Blanton’s Special Reserve (Green Label)

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $140

The Whiskey:

Blanton’s Special Reserve, colloquially known as “Green Label,” is the brand’s 80-proof offering for the European market. Aside from that geographic distinction and modest proof, this one follows the specs of the rest of the lineup in that it’s bottled from a single barrel of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nosing notes start strong with some mild butterscotch and cornbread tones, before quickly diffusing and introducing earthier elements of peppercorn, raw almonds, and nutmeg. There’s also some vanilla and soft oak, but not much to speak of.

Palate: On the palate, it’s the nuttier and earthier elements that grab your attention at first. The flavor of youthful oak weaves well into a melange of watered-down caramel, peppercorns, almonds, and black tea. The mouthfeel is thin, and as a result those flavors are fleeting, but they work well while they last.

Finish: The finish is where the notes of black tea and caramel pick up a notch before youthful oak cleans the slate and quickly fades away.

Bottom Line:

Is this one better than Blanton’s Takara Black? As it goes with single-barrel expressions, either one of them could be deemed better on a given day. As mentioned above, this is another Blanton’s expression that you can forget about trying unless you’re a true completionist, as its modest proof leaves behind most of the flavor that bourbon enthusiasts are looking for.

7. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $135

The Whiskey:

One of the most polarizing and hyped bourbons in all of the land, Blanton’s is the original single-barrel bourbon. Launched in 1984, each bottle of Blanton’s is the product of a single barrel, an idea hatched by Buffalo Trace’s then Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is full of maple candy, gentle oak, vanilla extract, and hazelnuts. There’s a bit of honey that kicks the sweetness of the nose up a few degrees, along with a bit of orange zest.

Palate: On the palate, the hazelnut note steers the car as orange marmalade, vanilla extract, and warm oak tones become backseat drivers.

Finish: The finish finds a flourish of black pepper and barrel char, balancing out bits of vanilla, brown sugar, and hazelnut. It drops off fairly quickly, but the relative richness of the flavors makes it a savory finish despite its brevity.

Bottom Line:

While this is the bottle that most Blanton’s lovers know and enjoy, in the wider hierarchy of the expression, this one is pretty comfortably near the rear. That’s not a bad thing.

The reputation of Blanton’s Bourbon was built on the back of this bottle right here, and if it was your entry point into the lineup, you’re in luck: There are several expressions of higher quality that you’ll want to explore.

6. Blanton’s Takara Red

ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $220

The Whiskey:

Blanton’s Takara Red is yet another bottle in the lineup that’s reserved for the Japanese market. What makes this one special, however, is that it follows all the base rules of Blanton’s bourbon; it’s just aged for two years longer than the brand’s flagship offering. Blanton’s with an additional 24 months in the barrel? Count me in.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this one kicks off with a touch of musty oak staves before it blossoms to give off the aroma of pecans, salted caramel, and a touch of bright cherry kissed with vanilla. It stays true to the classic Blanton’s profile with a touch more fruitiness.

Palate: On the palate, this one delivers as expected. There are winter spice barks, burnt orange peels, and some faint butterscotch flavors here lying on a bed of sweet oak and vanilla extract. The texture is just round enough to hold all of those flavors together and coat your palate in a satisfying fashion.

Finish: The finish is where Blanton’s Takara Red struts its stuff compared to the flagship offering. With a medium finish that features some oily, nutty notes alongside vanilla and butterscotch, it comes across as a bit richer than your everyday Blanton’s expression.

Bottom Line:

We still aren’t in the territory of Blanton’s expressions that are worth the asking price (unless you can find the standard offering at MSRP), but compared to its 80-proof companions, Blanton’s Takara Red is certainly more deserving of your attention. What happens when you take standard Blanton’s bourbon and age it for just a hair longer than your typical domestic offering? Great things, indeed.

If you’re on the fence about the effects that a mere two years can have on a bourbon’s flavor profile, then you should definitely seek this one out.

5. Blanton’s Silver

ABV: 49%
Average Price: $5,000

The Whiskey:

Produced for about a decade, from 1999 to 2009, is Blanton’s Silver. Since being discontinued, the legend of this expression has only grown, but within the Blanton’s family, there’s little that sets it apart from its peers. What this has in common with most other Blanton’s expressions is that it hails from Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse H and is aged for 6-8 years. What makes this one special is that it’s bottled at a higher proof (49% ABV), and it sports a flashy silver label and topper.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this expression is an absolute delight. Gooey caramel, faint cardamom, some wet grass, and Manuka honey notes lead the way. After giving this one some time to rest in the glass, you’re able to pull out some sweet cherry and vanilla ice cream aromas as well, plus a touch of freshly cracked black pepper.

Palate: On the palate, it’s the sweet cherry and vanilla ice cream notes that stand out at first. Once those sweet, fruity touches fade, you’ll find some cardamom, raw honey, black pepper, and pecan notes nestled underneath. There’s also a distinct note of nougat and nutmeg pulsing at the heart of every sip, which I found quite pleasant.

Finish: The medium-length finish on this whiskey feels just right, as it provides enough breathing room for accents of sweetness to complement the flavors of nutmeg, oak, and nougat that flourish before it dissipates from your palate.

Bottom Line:

In this day and age, you’re paying a huge premium for this bottle due to factors that aren’t really tied to how it tastes. As one of only two expressions on this list that are no longer produced, it’s a scarce but delicious whiskey. Try it if you come across it, because it’s proof positive that Blanton’s really shines at a slightly higher proof, but I can’t in good faith recommend buying a bottle unless you’re a devout fan and absolute completionist.

4. Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel

ABV: 62.5%
Average Price: $250

The Whiskey:

Yes, Blanton’s is one of the most polarizing whiskeys in the bourbon world, oftentimes serving as a superfluous litmus test. Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel, however, is probably the most sought-after offering in the iconic single-barrel bourbon range, bottled at cask strength for the fullest flavor and matured between 6-8 years.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Brown sugar, stewed apple chunks, and substantial oak tones fill the air with this bourbon in your glass. There are a few oddities to be found, like singed apricot, yellow curry, and cranberry fruit jelly, as well as some classics like caramel and vanilla.

Palate: On the palate, this bourbon comes across as densely packed with flavor and a bit muddled. Give it a second sip, and those flavors become far more distinct as brown sugar can be picked out along with sweet vanilla, toasted almonds, cooked apples, undercooked dough, and cinnamon bark. The texture is burly, and the high proof combined with its relative youth indicates it is “hot” on the palate, which I prefer to describe as being bold.

Finish: The climax of each sip continues that bold streak as a touch of apple cider vinegar pairs well with brown sugar, oak, and chocolate-covered vanilla cone notes for the lengthy finish.

Bottom Line:

Some may be surprised to see this bottle outside of the top three, but for my palate, it’s simply too unpredictable to place it higher. This particular bottling is surprisingly grain-forward, and while it’s impressively bold on the tip of the tongue and the finish, it has something of a hollow core with a limp midpalate experience that sucks a lot of the fun away from those lovely robust flavors found at the bookends of every sip. YMMV (it is a single-barrel bourbon lineup, after all), but I’ve seldom found a bottle of Straight From The Barrel that checks every box.

3. Blanton’s Gold

ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $230

The Whiskey:

Blanton’s Gold was formerly an expression only available in foreign markets, but in 2020, the popular offering was sold for the first time stateside. Bottled at ten proof points higher than Blanton’s standard edition, this version is easily identifiable by its golden bottle topper and see-through bottle design.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on Blanton’s gold is full of bright cherries, candied apples, caramel, and honey. It’s only after further investigation that you’ll find baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and a faint bit of ginger as well.

Palate: In the mouth, Blanton’s Gold contains a multitude of the aforementioned sweet notes with bright cherries, vanilla ice cream, caramel, and crème brulée. There’s a bit of black pepper and barrel char, but not much, and the guilty pleasure derived from all that sweetness is enhanced by the liquid’s impressively viscous, almost syrupy, mouth-coating texture.

Finish: The finish finds candied ginger and fresh red apples fused with black pepper spice and caramelized sugar. The finish is only medium length, but the richness of the flavor notes makes every moment of that finish quite delightful.

Bottom Line:

One can’t shake the feeling that the flavor of Blanton’s Gold is what Blanton’s standard should be. While it is decidedly sweeter than its lower-proofed brethren, it contains a level of refinement that, relative to its ABV, borders on decadent. Approachable and perfectly polished, Blanton’s Gold is easily the most crowd-pleasing bourbon in the domestic Blanton’s lineup, and when it comes to “regular” releases, it’s definitely my favorite.

2. Blanton’s Takara Gold

ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $500

The Whiskey:

Blanton’s Gold is definitely my preferred proof and flavor profile when it comes to the Blanton’s lineup, but what makes Takara Gold even better? The same factor that separates Takara Red and standard Blanton’s: Two extra years of aging. If you happen to see this one out in the wild without its shiny box or red dust bag, you can identify the difference between this one and domestic Blanton’s Gold by paying attention to the wax that adorns the topper. For domestic Blanton’s Gold, the wax is black, while for Takara Gold, it’s more of a maroon color.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on Blanton’s Takara Gold is front loaded with fruit notes as caramel apples, cocktail cherries, and brown sugar stewed peaches stand out at first. From there, it evolves to include some sweet oak, vanilla ice cream, cloves, and cinnamon bark. It’s a familiar, but distinctly rich aroma profile for Blanton’s bourbon.

Palate: On the palate, this whiskey is impressively viscous to start as waves of honey, vanilla bean, and black cherry notes wash over the tongue. Fainter notes of caramel and red apples continue the evolution on the palate before sweet oak, cloves, and a hint of black pepper spice fully flesh out each sip.

Finish: The finish is medium-to-long and shows off the whiskey’s creamy texture as cloves, caramel apples, and vanilla flavors cap things off.

Bottom Line:

Sure, it’s harder to find (and only comes in a 700ml bottle), but those two extra years of aging compared to domestic Blanton’s Gold mean you’re getting a slightly richer flavor experience, and one that ups the intrigue as you sit with the glass at length. This is the pinnacle of contemporary Blanton’s expressions: Proofed perfectly, and matured for a considerable amount of time, making it the offering you should most enthusiastically try to add to your collection.

1. My Only Blanton’s

ABV: 70.95%
Average Price: Unknown

The Whiskey:

Throughout its history, there have occasionally been some extra-special single-barrel private selections of Blanton’s. You may have seen some popular ones from the likes of La Maison du Whisky in France, or perhaps you’ve seen some of the celebratory ones like the 2024 40th Anniversary bottling for stores in the Caribbean and Greece, or proto-bottles like the elusive Frankfort, Kentucky, Bicentennial bottle.

Of all the truly unique Blanton’s bottles in existence, this is the best and the rarest that I’ve tried: My Only Blanton’s. The highest proof Blanton’s to ever be bottled, at 141.9, from ‘06-07, these extremely limited single barrel offerings were made available to select Takara Shuzo customers in Japan. Fewer than five of these bottles are known to be open in the entire world, and it’s believed that fewer than 125 were ever produced, though it’s likely there were even fewer given its proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this whiskey is potent and full of brown sugar, stewed red apples, faint tobacco leaves, Aleppo red pepper flakes, and organic honey. It’s an alluring blend of aromas that draws your nose deeper in the glass before you realize its most impressive aspect: it masks the heat from the proof while delivering the richness that one expects at such an elevated ABV.

Palate: On the palate, this whiskey remains as potent as the nose indicated, with Aleppo red pepper flakes combining with salted caramel and stewed apples on the tip of the tongue. Once that initial wave reaches midpalate, it opens up with the flavors of black cherries, pie crust, and sweet oak. The texture is medium-bodied, but as it dissipates, it prickles the edges of your tongue with black pepper and nutmeg.

Finish: The finish goes on for days and impressively fuses the flavors of black pepper, black cherries, and toffee for a balanced but bold send-off with every sip.

Bottom Line:

It’s a feature, not a bug, of the single-barrel bourbon business that sometimes these one-off snowflakes are exceptionally delicious. Enthusiasts might grumble about it, and avid collectors certainly spend an outsized amount of time just locating rare bottles like this one. Still, when remarkable rarity is paired with incredible quality, the legend of bottles like this one is born.

It certainly helps that this is the highest confirmed proof ever to grace a bottle of Blanton’s. The online fervor over this bottle has also been fueled by Neat Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop in Louisville, which recently added it to its back bar…only to see it emptied within the span of a month.

No matter, I’m here to confirm that the hype is real, and when it comes to hyper-limited bottlings of Blanton’s that I’ve had the opportunity to try as a professional whiskey critic, this one takes the cake.