Blanton's Label History

Blanton's, named for Col. Albert Bacon Blanton, was launched in 1984 as an export only single-barrel bourbon. Even in Japan, bottles from 1984-1987 are very rare. Bottles from 88 and 89 are more attainable and bottles from the 1990s are somewhat common.

Normally, dating a bottle of Blanton's is easy. Simply look for the "dump date" that is hand written on each bottle. Sometimes, however, the label is missing a dump date or, the case of an auction, the available pictures of the bottle do not show the date. In order to allow approximate dating in these types of cases, I've tracked down the year when certain aspects of the bottle changed. The following information applies to Blanton's Original Single Barrel. It may apply to other bottlings, but I haven't verified that it does.

Hang Tag

Hang Tag (1984-1990)

The first key change pertains to the hang tag. From 1984 until 1990, the phrase "Why this may be the finest bottle of whiskey ever produced." (see rights) was printed on the front of the hang tag in a scripted font. No other text or pictures appear on the front of hang tags from this era.

In 1990, the hang tag was changed. From this point forward, the phrase "The Finest Bourbon in the World Comes from a Single Barrel" was printed in all caps on the top half of the front of the hang tag. A picture of a horse and rider was printed below. This type of hang tag continues to this day.

Neck Label

The second key change pertains to the neck label. From 1984 until 1993, the phrase "Blanton Distilling Company" was printed in a scripted font on the neck label (see below). All of the words were printed at the same size.

In late 1993, the neck label was changed. From this point forward, the phrase "Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon ウイスキー" was printed on the neck label in Japan and the phrase "Blanton's the Original Single Barrel Bourbon" was printed on the neck label elsewhere. This type of neck label continues to this day.

Neck Label (1984-1993)

Horse Stopper

The final key change pertains to the bottle stopper. From 1984 until 1998, the stopper depicted a running horse (see below). The casting of the horse is generally rougher in bottles from the 1980s and early 1990s. For example, sometimes there is some metal left between the body of the horse and the horses legs.

Sometime in 1999, the horse stopper was changed. From this point forward, one of the letters in the word "Blanton's" was added near the legs of the horse. If the stoppers are arranged to spell "Blanton's" the various stages of the race with align as well. Because there are two "n"s in "Blanton's," the second "n" is marked with two dots to the right of the letter.

Horse Stopper (1984-1999)

The key dates for Blanton's Original Single Barrel are summarized in the table below.

Year	Item	Description of Change
1990	Hang Tag	Hang tag changes from "Why this may be the finest bottle of whiskey every produced." to "The Finest Bourbon in the World Comes from a Single Barrel."
1993	Neck Label	The neck label changed from "Blanton Distilling Co." to "Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon ウイスキー" in Japan and "Blanton's the Original Single Barrel Bourbon" elsewhere.
1999	Stopper	A letter is added to the horse stopper near the feet of the horse.

Price at Auction

Bottles of Blanton's from the 1990s or 2000s generally go for about the same price as a current bottle of Blanton's. Bottles of Blanton's from 1988 or 1989 generally go for about twice the price of a current bottle of Blanton's. Blanton's from 1984-1987 generally goes for three times the price of a current bottle of Blanton's.

Blanton's Silver

Distillery:		Buffalo Trace
Age:		8-9 Years
Proof:		98 (49% ABV)
Price:		JPY 6000

Blanton's Silver was originally produced for the duty free market only, but has since been discontinued. Because it been discontinued, its is very rare to see it available for sale. I'm not sure how exactly this bottle made it to Japan, but I do see duty-free releases on store shelves from time to time.

As the color may suggest, Blanton's Silver is positioned between Blanton's Original Single Barrel and Blanton's Gold. Both the original retail price and the proof fall between these two bottles.

The bottle was dumped March 24, 2000 and is 98 proof. Like all Blanton's it comes from Warehouse H. The bottle was in OK condition when purchased. The wax was a little dried out and the box was somewhat damaged. I bought it anyway as a gamble, hoping that the bourbon inside the bottle would have survived the damage to packaging. 

The bourbon starts out well with a the normal caramel and vanilla as well notes of citrus and figs. The taste is less sweet than many bourbons, with hints of maraschino cherries. It's a little hot with a dry woody finish. 

This is not nearly as good as Blanton's Straight from the Barrel. The silver is much closer to the flavor of the Blanton's Single Barrel. Given the choice, I would choose Blanton's Straight from the Barrel every time.

This bottle is somewhat interesting because it was distilled during the tenure of Gary Garheart, the previous master distiller at Buffalo Trace. It does taste a little different than the current offerings (i.e., the notes of maraschino cherry), but isn't objectively any better. 

Verdict: If you see it, buy it - it may be your only chance.

Ancient Ancient Age 8 Year

Distillery:		Buffalo Trace (under contract with Age International)
Age:		8 Years
Proof:		86 (43% ABV)
Price:		JPY 1400-2600

Ancient Ancient Age 8 Year sits between the Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star, which is about 6-years-old, and the Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year. It shares its mash bill (BT#2) with Blanton's, another Age International expression, but its taste profile is a little sweeter and it is a little less complicated overall.

Ancient Ancient Age 8 Year is 86 proof, four proof lower than the Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star. The dilution seems to balance out the additional two years of aging compared to the Ancient Ancient Age 10-star and also affects the color.

Aside from the "8 year" on the label, the design is essentially the same as other Ancient Ancient Age expressions.

It's not as dark as you might think, given that its 8 years old, but its a little darker than Ancient Age 10 Star.

The bourbon is sweet, spicy and with lots of woody tannins (even though its only 8 years old). Ancient Age, like Blanton's, is made using Buffalo Trace's high rye mash bill (#2) and it really shows. The spiciness of the rye and the wood really define the flavor and overwhelm the sweetness of the corn.

Though Ancient Ancient Age and Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star are fairly easy to find, the 8 year is rather scarce. In fact, the 10 year is probably easier to find than the 8 year and the prices between the 8 and 10 year are almost identical.

Verdict: All-in-all, this bourbon is more similar to the Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star than the Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year. The harsher alcohol flavors are still present and the taste profile hasn't evened out in the way Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year's flavor has. As is the case with many bourbons, this one improves a lot once it's warmed up in your glass. I don't mind drinking this bourbon, but given its price and scarcity save some room in your cabinet (or suitcase) for something else.

Blanton's Straight From the Barrel

Distillery:		Buffalo Trace (under contract with Age International)
Age:		NAS
Proof:		132.7 (66.35% ABV)
Price:		JPY 4500

Blanton's - the brand credited with creating the idea of a single barrel bourbon - at cask strength.  

As you can see, in this case, barrel strength means 132.7 proof (66.35% ABV). Most of the bottles I have seen are a little above 130 proof. This is a little higher than Booker's, which is normally in the 120s, but not far off. A 5% difference doesn't make that much of a difference at this level.

Blanton's Straight from the Barrel is non-chill filtered, which means it becomes cloudy with the addition of water or ice. I think this adds a little more body to this bourbon compared to its diluted brethren. I normally drink this as-is, without the addition of water or ice, but a drop or two of water can sometimes open up the aroma and flavor. Because it is non-chill filtered, each drop of water c
reates a little vortex of esters that swirl through the glass.

The nose starts off with notes of maple sugar, leather and green apple, before moving on to notes of prunes and cinnamon. It has a nice thick mouthfeel with notes of candied apple, vanilla and cashews. There is some woodiness as the flavor progresses. The finish is nice and long with prunes for miles.

This is forward, aggressive and masculine, as you would expect from such a high proof bourbon. Lots of dark fruits and woody tannins. It really lives up the nose. It is not, however, "hot" and the burn of the alcohol is not as pronounced as you might expect given the proof. The wood is somewhat surprising given that its probably only about six years old, but the woodiness is not unpleasant and should not be taken as a sign of over aging.

Verdict: Buy it, even if you don't like Blanton's Single Barrel. 

Blanton's

Blanton's is a brand owned by Age International Inc.  In 1991, Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. acquired a stake in Age International and later gained complete control of the company. Takara Shuzo is a Japanese company that makes all sorts of beverages, including sake, bourbon and scotch, and has subsidiaries around the world.

Even though the brand is owned by Age International, Buffalo Trace Distillery actually produces Blanton's and distributes it in the United States. All Blanton's comes from Warehouse "H," a metal warehouse that Colonel Blanton thought produced the best bourbon.

In addition to Blanton's, Buffalo Trace produces several other bourbons for Age International using its lower-corn Mash Bill #2. These brands include Ancient Age, Elmer T. Lee, Hancock's Reserve and Rock Hill Farm.

Blanton's markets itself as the first single barrel whiskey. In the United States, only Blanton's Original Single Barrel is widely available. In Japan, and much of the rest of the world, however, five, six or even seven varieties of Blanton's are available:

Name	Label Color	Proof	Notes
Special Reserve	Green	80	For markets that tax alcohol based on proof
Single Barrel Bourbon	Black	80	Japan only; 8 years old
Single Barrel Bourbon	Cream	93	Japan only; 8 years old
Original Single Barrel	Brown	93	Standard U.S. Release
Silver Edition	Silver	98	Discontinued Duty-Free Bottling
Gold Edition	Gold	103	No actual label. The text that normally appears on the label is etched onto the glass in gold.
Straight from the Barrel	Brown	130	"Uncut and unfiltered"

Most Blanton's is bottles at about 6-years-old. The two Japan-only releases, however, are bottled at about 8-years-old. Aside from that, there is no barrel selection. That is, barrels from Warehouse H selected as fitting the Blanton's profile are simply bottled at different proofs to create the various expressions. For example, the only difference between Blanton's Gold Edition and the Original Single Barrel is the amount of Kentucky limestone water added before bottling. Because this is a single barrel bourbon, however, there will  differences between bottles.

In addition to the above bottlings, there are various limited edition bottlings of Blanton's for La Maison du Whisky, a specialty liquor store in Paris. These are simply store selections of Blanton's, but each edition has a special label that departs dramatically from the standard Blanton's monochrome labels.

Warehouse H