Blanton's Kentucky Bourbon Single Barrels

Along the banks of the Kentucky River, at the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery, barrels of Blanton's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey are aging gracefully, waiting for the precise moment when the bourbon inside reaches peak maturity. This bourbon is bottled one barrel at a time, only when the taste matches the uncompromising standards set by Colonel Blanton himself nearly a century ago. Crafted at Buffalo Trace Distillery, Blanton's is the original single-barrel bourbon, and this iconic bottle is sought after by bourbon connoisseurs around the world. Blanton's was created in 1984, when master distiller Elmer T. Lee set out to craft a premium bourbon that would take the market by storm. Nearing the end of his illustrious career, Elmer reflected on his early days when he worked under the legendary Colonel Albert B. Blanton. Elmer remembered that when Colonel Blanton would entertain dignitaries, he would hand-pick honey barrels from the center cut of warehouse H, and have that bourbon bottled one barrel at a time. So Elmer introduced the world's first single-barrel bourbon, revolutionizing the industry. This radical concept of single-barrel bourbon was a major breakthrough in the premiumization of bourbon. As a tribute to Colonel Blanton's old tradition, Elmer decided to name his new bourbon Blanton's Single Barrel. Blanton's bourbon was created by Elmer T. Lee's innovative spirit and his desire to showcase how wonderful bourbon could be. And the rest is history. To be called bourbon, this spirit must meet specific standards set by the United States federal government. First and foremost, it has to be made in the The mash bill must be comprised of at least 51 percent corn. It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof, entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. The barrel is crucial to the character of the bourbon. Bourbon must be aged in new charred oak barrels, an important distinction from other barrel age spirits like scotch, other whiskeys, and rum, which are typically aged in used barrels. Lastly, bourbon cannot contain any added flavoring, coloring, or other additives. In its simplest form, bourbon is a product of time and mother nature. It's often said that bourbon gets nearly three-fourths of its flavor from the oak. As the seasons change, temperatures rise and fall, and the bourbon interacts with the oak, imparting a signature flavor that has come to be desired around the world. Now, let's take a look at the distilling process. First, we source grains from local farmers. For Blantons, we use a mash bill that requires three different types of grains, corn, rye, and malted barley. The water we use comes from the Kentucky River and other local sources. The water in Kentucky is important because it sits on a bed of limestone, which contributes to better tasting bourbon. According to master distiller Harlan Wheatley, the primary reason is that limestone adds nutrients like magnesium and calcium that yeast needs to thrive. It is this water that makes Kentucky the perfect place to make bourbon, raise racehorses, and grow corn. Once we have sourced the grains, we mill them on site and add them to boiling water in large capacity pressure cookers. We cook the cornmeal for about an hour and add rye as it cools. We add the malted barley last, which creates a sweet mash. This mixture is now ready for fermentation. The first thing that is added to the fermentation tanks is a little bit of mash. We call this sour mash. When this bit is added to the sweet mash, we then add yeast to the mash and let it ferment for three to five days. When the mash is about 7.5% alcohol, it is ready to distill. When the mash goes into the still, it meets steam, which causes the alcohol to vaporize and condense into a 120 proof liquid of grain alcohol. The grain alcohol is then distilled again in a doubler up to 135 proof. The doubler creates a clear whiskey called white dog that is now ready for barrel aging. What begins as a high corn, high rye mash bill is distilled twice and enters the barrel at the legal max of 125 proof. By law, the American oak barrels we use have never been used before. We use a number four char on our barrels to capture the rich flavors of the oak. The color and much of the flavor of the fully mature bourbon comes from the caramelized sugars in the charred oak. Once the barrels are filled, they are ready for aging in warehouse age, which is steam heated to ensure maturation is continuous. This is a major difference from scotch whiskey, which goes dormant during the colder months of the year. Blanton's is aged in the historic warehouse age. Built shortly after the repeal of prohibition, warehouse age was constructed with metal walls rather than brick. Colonel Blanton soon realized that this warehouse allowed Kentucky's climate to change the temperature in the warehouse more quickly, causing the bourbon to interact with the oak at a steadier rate. In time, Colonel Blanton favored the unique aging qualities this metal warehouse had on the bourbon inside. This warehouse became the exclusive home of Blanton's single barrel bourbon and remains the only metal warehouse on the distillery campus today. Over time, the whiskey absorbs flavor and color from the oak. In the hotter months, the whiskey expands into the porous oak. In the colder months, the whiskey is drawn out of the oak. Every time the whiskey goes in and out of the oak, the richness of flavor and color increases. Blanton's is left undisturbed for years, so these natural flavors and deep color have time to saturate fully in order to reach full maturation. After aging for years, barrels of Blantons are carefully selected based on taste rather than age, ensuring a consistent profile from barrel to barrel. These special barrels are selected by our master distiller Harlan Wheatley. Samples from these select barrels are carefully evaluated by the tasting panel and compared to previous bottles of Blantons. The tasting panel must agree the sample is of exceptional quality and taste and consistent with past barrels of Blantons. This process is an additional safeguard to protect the high quality standard of Blantons. At peak maturity, the bourbon tastes sweet with notes of citrus and oak. It boasts a creamy vanilla nose underscored by clove, nutmeg, or cinnamon spices. Once the barrel has been deemed to be of the highest quality, it then goes to the bottling hall for processing and bottling. Once these barrels reach the bottling hall, they are dumped and chill filtered to remove any sediment such as barrel char. Each barrel is then processed to the appropriate proof and bottled one barrel at a time. Again, the process of single barrel bottling ensures that each bottle of Blantons is of the highest quality. Blantons is bottled, sealed, and labeled by hand. This is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but it helps to ensure that every bottle is produced to the highest quality standard. Along with the signature shape of the bottle itself, Blantons features unique horse and jockey bottle stoppers, which are now a recognized trademark. The rich heritage and tradition of horses in Kentucky parallel that of bourbon, and this is our way of paying homage to that Kentucky heritage. Eight in total, each stopper is marked with a single letter that spells out Blantons when the set has been completed.