Blanton’s has found its way into many bourbon lovers’ hearts for a variety of reasons.  Maybe it’s the first real allocated bottle that you tried, perhaps it’s the allure of collecting all the letters on the toppers to spell out “BLANTON’S,” or perhaps it’s the search for a dump date that corresponds to a special life event.  One thing is for certain is that Blanton’s has a true cult following and despite many folks throwing shade for being a “tater” bottle it remains top of the pack being one of the most frequently searched bourbons on the Bourbon Blue Book™.

The world of Blanton’s is a big one, and some folks have amassed significant Blanton’s related collections, with one gentleman in Ohio sporting an estimated 100,000-dollar collection of ultra-rare, one-off Blantons expressions.  With a myriad of varied bottlings to collect, many of which are only available outside of the United States one can certainly understand the overall intrigue.

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Blanton’s Single Barrel

93 proof

First released in 1984, Blanton’s single barrel is the mainstay of the Blanton’s lineup and is the bottle most often thought of when you think of the brand.  Interestingly, when it was originally released (and prior to 1984) the neck labels said “Blanton” with no “s!”  Aged a minimum of six years you can find this in both domestic and international markets on the regular.  Expect to pay around 115 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel

Proof varies, 120’s to mid-130’s

One of the Bourboneur favorites of the line, Buffalo Trace began releasing Blantons Straight from the Barrel (SFTB for short) in Fall of 2020.  It’s often suggested this should become a sixth member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection given the proof and quality of the juice.  Although generally these bottles range in proof in the 120’s to 130’s, the highest confirmed proof made it to hazmat territory (greater than 140 proof) clocking in at 141.9.  Can be found on both the domestic and international market.  Expect to pay around 290 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Gold

‍103 Proof

I remember when this was only available in Japan and was a hot ticket when you could get hands on it, perhaps you had a friend who flew for an airline or something.  Blanton’s Gold was originally released in 1992 and finally became a fixture in the US market in the summer of 2020.  It’s proofed up from the standard Blanton’s release which really does a lot for the pour and is a much more elegant experience.  Expect to pay around 220 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Takara Gold

103 Proof

Only available in Japan, this probably isn’t worth the extra coin over the standard Blanton’s Gold that much more available.  Although you’d think this was the same as Blanton’s Gold at first glance, upon closer inspection there are some interesting nuances.  From a visual perspective the box is shiny and the wax adorning the topper is red instead of black.  It’s the same proof but, the Takara edition is aged two years longer than the standard Gold.  In examining several side-by-side reviews, for what it’s worth, most don’t find the extra age to be of much consequence to the pour.  Expect to pay around 390 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Silver

98 Proof

With six to eight years in the wood in Warehouse H, Blantons Silver was originally available in various duty-free shops as a travel exclusive.  Since its inception however, this bottling has been discontinued having been produced from 1999-2009.  Expect to pay 3,000 dollars on average for this blast from the past.  Expect to pay around 2,550 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Special Reserve

80 Proof

With an international distribution, the Blanton’s Special Reserve bottling is fairly common and usually found in European markets.  Its low proof leaves this a bit thinner than the original and beyond the intrigue of having a rainbow of Blanton’s bottles in your collection probably is worth passing by if I’m being honest.  Expect to pay around 200 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Takara Black

80 Proof

Another Japanese market exclusive, this is essentially the identical Japanese cousin of the Blanton’s Special Reserve green labeled bottle.  Not much more to say.  Expect to pay around 200 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

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Blanton’s Takara Red

93 Proof

Produced beginning in 1990 you’d be hard pressed to distinguish some of the earlier versions of this bottling from the standard Blanton’s Single Barrel offering.  In mid-1991 however, Buffalo Trace introduced a new neck label that includes Japanese writing on it making it obvious.  Like Blanton’s Gold, this bourbon has two more years in the wood compared to the standard Blanton’s offering.  Expect to pay around 200 dollars on the secondary market for this bottle.

Blanton’s La Maison du Whisky

Various

Bottled exclusively for La Maison du Whisky, this collection of nearly two dozen different bottlings includes some true unicorns in the Blanton’s world, with offerings dating back to 2006.  The lineup consists of nearly a dozen bottlings that would be considered unicorns by the likes of most Blanton’s aficionados.

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