Where's Blanton's!?!?
BlueKitchen.net
BlueKitchen.net
Easily the most inquired about bourbon (and its omission on my list), Blanton's seems to have a serious, devoted following that finds it to be one of the very best bourbons around. Good for you and good for it ... I jus' ain't one of 'em.
Blanton's is a fairly nice bourbon that I wouldn't necessarily pour out of my glass if it were the only amber elixir one had to offer me ... but it also doesn't impress me, either. At over $40/fifth in my home state, "not quite impressing me" just isn't an option.
Blanton's nose is a prelude to the bourbon within. It tickles your nose hairs in a somewhat unpleasant way, a sort of foreshadowing to what lies ahead. It starts out well enough with the hints of caramel and vanilla, but something happens during the aftertaste. Like a film, if a bourbon has a poor ending, it's going to leave me with a bad impression. Blanton's does just that.
All in all, I would rank Blanton's somewhere in the Elijah Craig range. But with Blanton's being so highly touted and carrying nearly double the price tag ... I felt it was a worthy bourbon to make the cutting room floor. Many disagree, however. For proof, check the message board.
