Blanton's Original Single Barrel 700ml

The single-barrel category starts with Blanton's Original Single Barrel, a Kentucky straight bourbon first released in 1984 as the world's first commercially marketed single barrel bourbon. Every bottle is drawn from one barrel aged in Buffalo Trace's Warehouse H, bottled at 93 proof from a high-rye mash bill, and topped with one of the eight collectible horse-and-jockey stoppers. Expect caramel and orange peel on the nose, honeyed vanilla and rye spice on the palate, and a warm nutmeg finish that runs longer than the proof suggests. This is the 700ml bottling of an allocation staple that rarely sits on shelves long. Pour it neat for a first taste; a single cube rounds the spice for easy sipping.

How to drink Blanton's Original Single Barrel

The rye spice in the mash bill gives it enough structure to hold up in a Manhattan, where the orange peel and nutmeg notes carry through rather than disappearing behind the vermouth. If you're collecting the horse stoppers, it's worth tasting each barrel neat first — small variations from bottle to bottle are part of the appeal.

Bourbon93 proof · Mash bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (high rye) · New charred American oak · Kentucky