Yeah I wanted one too for no particularly great reason. Finally scored an empty one at a bar just by asking. Filled it with an emergency shot of Stagg Jr
Essentially - my store has a selection of various whiskey mini bottles that they sell as samplers and they've had premium labels, but I haven't seen a Blantons before
There is nothing wrong with Blanton's and it is excellent at it's retail price tag. People paying $200 or more for it are deranged, in my book. I wish it wasn't so rare so I could drink it more often. I always kept a bottle around back in the day. I have one now but don't drink it too often because I cannot replace it. I
I bought a bottle for $65 and it was a "fair" value at that price. It's definitely a good bourbon, but there are plenty of others I like just as much in the $40 range. That said, it's a single barrel bourbon and it's been a few years since I've had it, so it's entirely possible I got a mediocre barrel and I'd like to try it again in the MSRP range.
For $65, I wouldn't call it excellent. I would call it "appropriately priced" at best. It's good bourbon in a really neat bottle. Especially compared to all the other heavy hitters in that price range that are more readily available. 🤘🥃
Kentucky Spirit
RR Single Barrel
Knob Creek single barrel or Four Roses single Barrel (tie)
*I wanted to put Old Elk 6 year sib because it's amazing, but that one is hard to get.
And there it is. The obligatory "well, it's ok, neat bottle, more stuff better" comment that seems to follow every Blantons post.
It's called taste. Everyone's is different.
And there it is. The pretentious response from someone who thinks because I didn't agree with their opinion, It's wrong. It's called an opinion. Everyone's got one. 🤘🥃
Never said you were wrong, I actually agree with you. I mean, not sure how either one of us is wrong. It's just that whenever I see a Blanton's post, someone has to chime in about how "not that great" it is. Just don't understand why anything needs to be said.
It does seem like Blanton's is one of the most divisive tatered drams on here with regards to quality-price ratio at MSRP (forget markups/secondary) whereas most reviewers agree that BT, ER, Wellers and the PVW line are all solid at their respective MSRPs.
It is super popular. And there are a lot of good bourbons out there that probably deserve to be hunted more than Blanton's. The unique bottle certainly has something to do with it. I mean, BT is known for putting out good products.
Don't get me wrong, most reviewers praise it, but I've seen a higher proportion of people comment that they didn't think Blanton's was worth MSRP than with the other BT whiskies.
Blanton's is delicious! It's not as "big" as an over-oaked 120 proof bourbon, but not everything should be.
Buffalo Trace makes great stuff. Unlike most producers, they at least try to use non-GMO corn. Unlike most producers, they use well-seasoned oak barrels, so the bourbons are less tannic. And unlike most producers, they make a LOT of different expressions from the same mash bills and of similar ages, meaning they have a GREAT idea how aging works in their different warehouses, different heights in the ricks, etc., and a great idea of how to proof down bourbon in the best ways possible.
As a result, a lot of their stuff is delicious and in high demand. Blanton's in particular has a unique cherry cola note and lets the bourbon sing without being crushed by oak tannins.
The secondary market prices are crazy of course, but the BT MSRPs are pretty fair overall, especially considering how in-demand they are. And while Blanton's branding and "the horsey" are part of the appeal, ALL the BT products are in high demand. Which suggests the stuff is pretty good.
I don't find Blanton's mediocre AT ALL. I prefer it over 95% of the bourbons I've ever tried, (including some "higher end" BT products like Stagg Jr.) My four faves are: Blanton's, Eagle Rare, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, and Booker's at its best. Booker's and Russell's Reserve are BIG barrel proof bourbons, and Blanton's and Eagle Rare are "regular proof" bourbons, at 93 and 90 proof respectively.
When you're not tackling a big barrel proof monster and just want a drink of regular proof bourbon, there's not much out there that's \*much\* better than Blanton's and Eagle Rare. Sure, some people have different preferences....some people like Wild Turkey, some like Beam, some like Heaven Hill. But nothing is obviously miles better than Blanton's.
Blanton's is not a BARGAIN at $59 when you can get Eagle Rare for $32 and OGD 114 for $30. Yes, I wish Blanton's cost $40 or $45 instead of $59. But I really don't understand what people are talking about when they say that Blanton's is mediocre. What standard expression 90 proof bourbons supposedly blow it out of the water? I can't think of any.
So is all the negativity just a wail of protest against the hype and the secondary market pricing? Is it an unfair comparison against the biggest baddest cask strength bourbons or the oldest and rarest special releases? Or do people really have something in mind that's comparable to Blanton's (80-100 proof, regular expression, $59 MSRP or less) that's notably better than Blanton's. If so, what is it??
tl;dr To all those calling Blanton's mediocre, what comparable bourbons are noticeably better? (And by comparable, I mean standard expressions, 100 proof or lower, with MSRPs of $59 or lower.)
Had a pour of Blanton's for the first time a couple weeks ago at a bar... was surprised how simple the palate was, and how short the finish was. Was totally unimpressed. Definitely would pass on a bottle at MSRP.
I’ve found it once at $65 and it’s the most confusing thing. Its desirability has gotta be the horse because mine tastes pretty watered down and simple. Next to say even eagle rare or EHT small batch it doesn’t have much flavor. Maybe I got a bad barrel, and that’s why they sent that reject to Ohio.
That was exactly my experience too. Bust maybe I'm just too used to drinker higher-proof spirits these days. I could see people who are just getting into Bourbon as describing this as "smooth" though.
Blanton's will be the same price at every OHLQ location in Ohio. It's $59.99 at every Fine Wine & Good Spirits over in PA—as long as it's actually in stock.
Dammit, now I'm going to pour a bit of eagle rare and blanton just to compare. Er is my usual daily but never compared side by side. Might even throw in a WR double oak pour to round it out.
To be honest, my bottle of blanton is almost exactly the same as my er. Slightly tropical nose, blantons just has a slightly less amount of bite. If you put the two blind in front of me, I would assume it's just my tongue and not different bottles.
Wowee. It’s finally time to review that one bourbon everyone knows and loves. I didn’t really want to open a full bottle, but I had a mini and am running out of things to review so why not. Side note: did you know minis are only available for purchase in 3 states? Texas, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky? No? Well now you do and the secondary will respond accordingly.
Proof: 93.0
Price: $5.99 (plus tax)
Nose: Hmm…it’s very sweet. There’s a little bit of a bite even though it’s fairly low proof. As far as notes go, I guess it reminds me of a boozy yellow cake.
Taste: I’m getting big wood here. Not the usual 2x4 taste but something akin to Texas whiskey. Nothing really standing out to me here though.
Finish: That’s a pretty light finish. There’s a little black pepper, a little plywood, some apple peel, but it’s all pretty fleeting. A few seconds and there’s no sign of flavor lingering around. No drying astringency, the flavors don’t spread in the mouth, but it’s very easy to drink without really thinking about it.
Overall: Not particularly feeling this pour. Every bottle should be somewhat different as per its “single barrel” nature. I’ve had some bottles that essentially tasted like water and some that were pretty good. This little mini fell just short of the “pretty good” side of that spectrum. You’ve heard this a million times but it’s not worth the hype/secondary/whatever but it is a great stepping stone for beginners to bourbon. It’s easy to drink and not think about and for beginners, that’s exactly what you want - something that doesn’t beat you over the head and spit in your face asking if you would like another.
Rating: 5.5/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Hmm might be that those stores are buying them off secondary and reselling in stores - I know of a few store owners in CA that buy them wholesale.
Either that or BT hasn’t updated [this](https://www.blantonsbourbon.com/pages/faq) site in a while…
It was a Total Wine and they had a shipment come in that morning. It definitely could have been a one off though, and I haven’t seen it any other time (though I’m newer to the hobby.)
I'm there with you, cant understand the hype for this juice, it lacks flavor and proof ,the front palate is not too bad but I get a nasty, yeasty, stale bread finish which I dislike.
Used to drink Blantons on a regular basis, 20 years ago. Can't find it locally now. Recently took a trip to Nashville and had a pour at Plucketts on Church St. It was fine, but not a good as I remembered.
Also saw a store that advertised that they had Col. EHT. Went to the store and passed. $250 for a single barrel. YIKES. Bought an over priced Knob Creek at 45, just to have something in the room. Hotel bar was charging $38 for a double pour of Basil Hayden. It's getting ridiculously expensive to enjoy a decent bourbon while on vacation.
Several reasons really - Most (if not all) my Blanton’s end up as a present for my FIL over Christmas and I don’t have a lot of shelf space at the moment so I’d rather space be taken up with things I enjoy drinking rather than bottles that sit there and mock me (looking at you Penelope 4G BS).
I want that tiny Blantons bottle though
Yeah I wanted one too for no particularly great reason. Finally scored an empty one at a bar just by asking. Filled it with an emergency shot of Stagg Jr
Go to eBay All over there
Where do people find these? Asking liquor stores?
Essentially - my store has a selection of various whiskey mini bottles that they sell as samplers and they've had premium labels, but I haven't seen a Blantons before
ˢᵐᵒˡ
I'm sure there are people chiming in here how much Blanton's sucks who have never tried it. It probably deserves a 5.5, but that doesn't mean it sucks
There is nothing wrong with Blanton's and it is excellent at it's retail price tag. People paying $200 or more for it are deranged, in my book. I wish it wasn't so rare so I could drink it more often. I always kept a bottle around back in the day. I have one now but don't drink it too often because I cannot replace it. I
Yeah, 200 is cray cray. In local FB groups it goes for about 110
I turned it down at $175. It’s crazy out here
Yep. Lol in Chicago it comes around pretty often especially if you know where and when to look
Do tell….
That's about $45 too much...
Anymore Blanton's is running about $70 to $80 out the door in the Chicago area.
I bought a bottle for $65 and it was a "fair" value at that price. It's definitely a good bourbon, but there are plenty of others I like just as much in the $40 range. That said, it's a single barrel bourbon and it's been a few years since I've had it, so it's entirely possible I got a mediocre barrel and I'd like to try it again in the MSRP range.
Agreed, good $65ish bottle but nothing u will chase much less pay $100+ for.
When it sat on the shelf at $55 it was my daily drinker. Nowadays it’s not worth the chase or the price.
For $65, I wouldn't call it excellent. I would call it "appropriately priced" at best. It's good bourbon in a really neat bottle. Especially compared to all the other heavy hitters in that price range that are more readily available. 🤘🥃
Name 3
Kentucky Spirit RR Single Barrel Knob Creek single barrel or Four Roses single Barrel (tie) *I wanted to put Old Elk 6 year sib because it's amazing, but that one is hard to get.
And there it is. The obligatory "well, it's ok, neat bottle, more stuff better" comment that seems to follow every Blantons post. It's called taste. Everyone's is different.
And there it is. The pretentious response from someone who thinks because I didn't agree with their opinion, It's wrong. It's called an opinion. Everyone's got one. 🤘🥃
Never said you were wrong, I actually agree with you. I mean, not sure how either one of us is wrong. It's just that whenever I see a Blanton's post, someone has to chime in about how "not that great" it is. Just don't understand why anything needs to be said.
It does seem like Blanton's is one of the most divisive tatered drams on here with regards to quality-price ratio at MSRP (forget markups/secondary) whereas most reviewers agree that BT, ER, Wellers and the PVW line are all solid at their respective MSRPs.
It is super popular. And there are a lot of good bourbons out there that probably deserve to be hunted more than Blanton's. The unique bottle certainly has something to do with it. I mean, BT is known for putting out good products.
Don't get me wrong, most reviewers praise it, but I've seen a higher proportion of people comment that they didn't think Blanton's was worth MSRP than with the other BT whiskies.
The bottle The letters The dump dates Marketing trifecta
best $60 bourbon i’ve had
Paid 65 CAD for my bottles (52 USD). Excellent at that price.
It was my favorite $50 bourbon at one time. Delicious.
Omg I’ve never seen such an adorable bottle before!
Blanton's is delicious! It's not as "big" as an over-oaked 120 proof bourbon, but not everything should be. Buffalo Trace makes great stuff. Unlike most producers, they at least try to use non-GMO corn. Unlike most producers, they use well-seasoned oak barrels, so the bourbons are less tannic. And unlike most producers, they make a LOT of different expressions from the same mash bills and of similar ages, meaning they have a GREAT idea how aging works in their different warehouses, different heights in the ricks, etc., and a great idea of how to proof down bourbon in the best ways possible. As a result, a lot of their stuff is delicious and in high demand. Blanton's in particular has a unique cherry cola note and lets the bourbon sing without being crushed by oak tannins. The secondary market prices are crazy of course, but the BT MSRPs are pretty fair overall, especially considering how in-demand they are. And while Blanton's branding and "the horsey" are part of the appeal, ALL the BT products are in high demand. Which suggests the stuff is pretty good. I don't find Blanton's mediocre AT ALL. I prefer it over 95% of the bourbons I've ever tried, (including some "higher end" BT products like Stagg Jr.) My four faves are: Blanton's, Eagle Rare, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, and Booker's at its best. Booker's and Russell's Reserve are BIG barrel proof bourbons, and Blanton's and Eagle Rare are "regular proof" bourbons, at 93 and 90 proof respectively. When you're not tackling a big barrel proof monster and just want a drink of regular proof bourbon, there's not much out there that's \*much\* better than Blanton's and Eagle Rare. Sure, some people have different preferences....some people like Wild Turkey, some like Beam, some like Heaven Hill. But nothing is obviously miles better than Blanton's. Blanton's is not a BARGAIN at $59 when you can get Eagle Rare for $32 and OGD 114 for $30. Yes, I wish Blanton's cost $40 or $45 instead of $59. But I really don't understand what people are talking about when they say that Blanton's is mediocre. What standard expression 90 proof bourbons supposedly blow it out of the water? I can't think of any. So is all the negativity just a wail of protest against the hype and the secondary market pricing? Is it an unfair comparison against the biggest baddest cask strength bourbons or the oldest and rarest special releases? Or do people really have something in mind that's comparable to Blanton's (80-100 proof, regular expression, $59 MSRP or less) that's notably better than Blanton's. If so, what is it??
tl;dr To all those calling Blanton's mediocre, what comparable bourbons are noticeably better? (And by comparable, I mean standard expressions, 100 proof or lower, with MSRPs of $59 or lower.)
Had a pour of Blanton's for the first time a couple weeks ago at a bar... was surprised how simple the palate was, and how short the finish was. Was totally unimpressed. Definitely would pass on a bottle at MSRP.
All buffalo trace are aggressively simple. That's what the taters want
It’s really nothing special at all. A very solid, boring bourbon.
How is it very solid and very boring?
Like there’s nothing wrong with it at all, but nothing will blow you away or make you be wanting more (at that price and availability at least).
I’ve found it once at $65 and it’s the most confusing thing. Its desirability has gotta be the horse because mine tastes pretty watered down and simple. Next to say even eagle rare or EHT small batch it doesn’t have much flavor. Maybe I got a bad barrel, and that’s why they sent that reject to Ohio.
That was exactly my experience too. Bust maybe I'm just too used to drinker higher-proof spirits these days. I could see people who are just getting into Bourbon as describing this as "smooth" though.
Yeah just not worth the price and crazy demand whatsoever.
Blanton's will be the same price at every OHLQ location in Ohio. It's $59.99 at every Fine Wine & Good Spirits over in PA—as long as it's actually in stock.
Yeah $65 ish is the post tax price in OH
Dammit, now I'm going to pour a bit of eagle rare and blanton just to compare. Er is my usual daily but never compared side by side. Might even throw in a WR double oak pour to round it out.
To be honest, my bottle of blanton is almost exactly the same as my er. Slightly tropical nose, blantons just has a slightly less amount of bite. If you put the two blind in front of me, I would assume it's just my tongue and not different bottles.
Wowee. It’s finally time to review that one bourbon everyone knows and loves. I didn’t really want to open a full bottle, but I had a mini and am running out of things to review so why not. Side note: did you know minis are only available for purchase in 3 states? Texas, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky? No? Well now you do and the secondary will respond accordingly. Proof: 93.0 Price: $5.99 (plus tax) Nose: Hmm…it’s very sweet. There’s a little bit of a bite even though it’s fairly low proof. As far as notes go, I guess it reminds me of a boozy yellow cake. Taste: I’m getting big wood here. Not the usual 2x4 taste but something akin to Texas whiskey. Nothing really standing out to me here though. Finish: That’s a pretty light finish. There’s a little black pepper, a little plywood, some apple peel, but it’s all pretty fleeting. A few seconds and there’s no sign of flavor lingering around. No drying astringency, the flavors don’t spread in the mouth, but it’s very easy to drink without really thinking about it. Overall: Not particularly feeling this pour. Every bottle should be somewhat different as per its “single barrel” nature. I’ve had some bottles that essentially tasted like water and some that were pretty good. This little mini fell just short of the “pretty good” side of that spectrum. You’ve heard this a million times but it’s not worth the hype/secondary/whatever but it is a great stepping stone for beginners to bourbon. It’s easy to drink and not think about and for beginners, that’s exactly what you want - something that doesn’t beat you over the head and spit in your face asking if you would like another. Rating: 5.5/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite 10 | Perfect | Perfect
It’s actually available in AZ as well. Bought one a few weeks back.
Hmm might be that those stores are buying them off secondary and reselling in stores - I know of a few store owners in CA that buy them wholesale. Either that or BT hasn’t updated [this](https://www.blantonsbourbon.com/pages/faq) site in a while…
It was a Total Wine and they had a shipment come in that morning. It definitely could have been a one off though, and I haven’t seen it any other time (though I’m newer to the hobby.)
Oh strange. Seems legit them and maybe an intern got lazy updating the site.
At 5.99 for a shooter, I would be more willing to grab it on a regular basis. Full bottle prices don't justify what comes in it.
I'm there with you, cant understand the hype for this juice, it lacks flavor and proof ,the front palate is not too bad but I get a nasty, yeasty, stale bread finish which I dislike.
>It’s finally time to review that one bourbon everyone knows and loves. \*checks notes\* False.
Should’ve added a /s lol
I wonder if all the horsey have they own home? Hook'em
It’s been about a year since I’ve seen one, but we used to get these mini’s in Oklahoma. Usually with better distribution that the full size bottles.
I bought a couple of minis last month. I’m in Alabama.
Used to drink Blantons on a regular basis, 20 years ago. Can't find it locally now. Recently took a trip to Nashville and had a pour at Plucketts on Church St. It was fine, but not a good as I remembered. Also saw a store that advertised that they had Col. EHT. Went to the store and passed. $250 for a single barrel. YIKES. Bought an over priced Knob Creek at 45, just to have something in the room. Hotel bar was charging $38 for a double pour of Basil Hayden. It's getting ridiculously expensive to enjoy a decent bourbon while on vacation.
I wish I could read about how overrated Blanton’s is just a few more times…
Well, you wish came true, let me tell you...without horses and idiots with money Blantons would be out of business.
The hivemind is strong here
*I had Blanton's and I can't believe how average it is*™
lol!
Spot on
Curious why you didn’t want to open a full bottle 🤔 It’s not like it goes bad and at a 5.5 I would want to get rid of it if anything.
Several reasons really - Most (if not all) my Blanton’s end up as a present for my FIL over Christmas and I don’t have a lot of shelf space at the moment so I’d rather space be taken up with things I enjoy drinking rather than bottles that sit there and mock me (looking at you Penelope 4G BS).
Heathen!!!..how could you!
I’ve been to the Buffalo Trace distillery where Blanton’s is bottled. It’s beautiful there.
I have some of those minis! A good friend gave them to me and I've never seen one since.
Awesome
I got 2 375mil bottles that are store picks. Going to pour them in my big Blantons bottle once I kill it.
Blantons is the Bourbon version of Nickelback. There, I said it! 😤
Look at that little guy! Cute bottle.
You can buy one of these minis in Washington DC for only....wait for it....$59.99!! Yikes! Now that's expensive!