Okay so here we Blanton’s original single barrel, which falls under the umbrella of the Buffalo Trace brand. I would be reminded by someone if I failed to mention that Blanton’s was one of the brands to kick off the bourbon craze. **Scroll down for the review, to read about the bourbon continue here: This is the most common Blanton’s you can usually find at your local sources. It’s about a $60.00 bourbon retail. To be perfectly honest, it’s priced correct. It isn’t the best single barrel in that range, I would place Weller Single barrel way above it. I’ve also seen many different labels of Blanton’s come to market, such as; green, silver, black, gold, from the barrel, Poland blue label edition, red label for the Japanese market. There’s also a derby edition floating around. None of the fore-mentioned labels are worth paying over $100 dollars for except the silver label which retails in the $300’s. If you’re paying more than that, your getting ripped off. You can find it fairly easily if you know where to look. There are websites charging in the thousands for these some silver labels are going for nearly $6,000. Not worth it, unless you have throw away money and are tired of waiting to finish your collection. However, keep in mind, for $5,000 retail you can have every Blanton’s, Pappy, Weller and Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. for that price. But I can’t find them anywhere?! Yes, this is an ongoing issue for many, what happens is that the distributors are hoarding all the good stuff so they can sell it to non-allocated state retailers at unbelievably high prices, driving up the cost for us mere mortals. All the while it’s being released at below retail for the distributers. Are the makers upset about this? You better believe it, but there isn’t anything they can do to stop it. The distributers have created a demand by limiting the supply, which is brilliant because it has jacked the price of bourbons through the roof. The good thing about all this is that, many new talented distillers are coming to market with phenomenal products at a reasonable price. Since Kentucky is not an allocated state, the distributers there get first pick, everything left over goes through an allocated state distributer where it is equally divided up into lotteries across the state. To win the lottery, your address would need to be in a low populated area and the store must be registered with the state. Which is why they ask you for the store you prefer and your personal information. This way, they think everyone has an equal chance of winning when in actuality the algorithm is based off of area, sales, and population. If your looking for the holy grail of bourbons, you either need to know someone who has a connection. I.E. you’re friends with a high level Kentucky whiskey distributer, a friend who owns a store in KY, a state allocated retail store in your area and has some pull, you win the lottery, you pay thousands from an online consignment which may or may not be legit looking website that’s a 100% scam using PayPal from a third world sh*t hole that you spend thousands on for your dream bourbon that will never come. Be watchful of a businesses physical locations that don’t actually exist, google subscriber numbers that only communicate by text and unusual or suspicious prices. I.E. charging the same price for every label of Weller or prices too good to be true. Before you send your money to a scammer, do your homework and fact check the details. There are legit sites out there, however the majority are fictitious. The bourbon phenomenon is coming to and end, so before you over pay, just keep playing the lottery and trying to make new friends. You will get what you want for retail eventually. If we all stop paying extreme prices, the prices will go back to normal. Shame on those who are paying thousands of dollars for a $60-200 bottle of bourbon. You’re the reason why the prices keep going up. Play the game long enough you’ll figure it out. Those that have the rare bourbons will not reveal how they get it. Or they’re suckers paying 12-35 times what it’s worth. So keep hunting, find the people in the know and learn from them. The review; The initial uncorking notes are of; a Madagascar vanilla, Carmel, nutmeg, cinnamon, (try with egg nog for a great Christmas cocktail). The initial sip is a moderate warm burn, the sweetness is noticed towards first breath, there is the legendary Blanton’s smoothness you notice right away, the finish is a bit harsh, a faint cat urine like note is detectable. About the the 6-8th sip it goes away and the bourbon becomes smoother. This is one you need to let sit in the glass for a few minutes or add alkaline P.H. 9.5 purified water into ice and let sit for about 3 minutes. You’ll get even more flavors to be released if your into bourbon flavor over trying to be hard, super hip and drink it straight to impress others. Which doesn’t matter either way, it adds to the flavor in my opinion if the ice is done right. But I’m particular. Pappy I enjoy straight, Weller I enjoy with alkaline ice so I get more flavor. Just depends on the bourbon and how it’s distilled. Does Blanton’s single barrel make my top shelf, no. But it has a uncontested spot on the third. It is very good, but there’s so many better bourbons out there.