First taste of Blanton's and what a great bottle – the stopper is a show stopper….sorry for that pun. This tasting note is for barrel number 1310. Nose is understated at first….rye earthy tones at the forefront with sweet vanilla and caramel coming up in the background slowly and almost muted at first. There is also apple, orange and mint also in the mix but all very subtle and also nicely integrated behind the rye. Nice to have a bourbon that doesn’t smell like you are smelling a bottle of vanilla essence you opened in a saw mill. This is a great all round bourbon and the price makes it very good value. Taste is initial sweet vanilla and caramel start that quickly transitions to rye spice and wood tannin. The spice and the tannin are refined and not overpowering. Its medium bodied and not a super long finish but it does linger a little with mild tannin, a hint of mint and earthy notes. Because the tannins are not huge this is on the sweeter side of the bourbon street. At this price point if you compare this to say Russell’s 10 year it certainly has a sweeter less tannin approach. Its also less complex than Russells but also more even handed. I’m really impressed by the balance between the vanilla, the rye and the tannin. This is sweet bourbon with not a lot of wood or charcoal in the finish. At 46% a dash of water opens it up and brings fresh mint and orange more into view on the nose and flattens the taste and makes for less initial spice but brings spice on the finish. I prefer it straight. Lets talk about the rye - The rye while not overpowering is the backbone and heart at work here. The more I drink bourbon the more I think how rye is used is the key and I think Blanton has used rye very smartly here. This is a great sipping Bourbon or a place to start if you want to see what Bourbon really has to offer outside of Beam and the like. If you are a Scotch drinker this might not be the place to start….may be Evan Williams Single Barrel would the be the right place. Still good stuff! 3.5 Stars or 89. I’m rounding my score up to 4 stars because it feels mean to give it 3….but its not really 4 star bourbon but its certainly not 3 either!