Blanton's

Intro:  From the Blanton's website:

Taken from the center-cut or middle sections of the famous Warehouse H, Blanton's Original Single Barrel was once designated for ambassadors, dignitaries, and Colonel Blanton's family and friends.  Today, everyone has access to the world's first single barrel bourbon.  The taste profile is sweet, with notes of citrus and oak.  The creamy vanilla nose is teased with caramel and butterscotch, all underscored by familiar baking spices such as clove, nutmeg, or cinnamon.  Blanton's Original set the standard for single barrel bourbons in 1984.  Best served neat or on the rocks.  Bottled at 46.5% alcohol by volume.

Review:

This bourbon, made from the Buffalo Trace mash bill #2, has emerged as a premium bourbon as of late and the bottles seem to fly off the shelf.  Many liquor stores keep their small inventory behind the counter to hold for regular customers....those secret handshaking sons of bitches!  Before even sampling the bourbon, let's give some style points to Buffalo Trace for the presentation of this bourbon.  That is a classy...no, sexy...no, badass bottle.  Oh hell, that's a sexy, classy, badass bottle!  For those collectors out there, it comes with a variety of 8 horseracing bottle toppers that each carry a letter for the spelling of the bourbon.  Alright...let's sample the goods. 

The nose has a bit more vapor to it than I anticipated but it is simply a sinus opener rather than a eye, teeth, or fist clincher.  The smell is amazing and the vapors almost allow you to draw in a bigger pull.  There is definitely some vanilla and cinnamon in this....or citrus and lilac...or catnip...hell, I don't know, it has a damn good smell, let's just leave it at that.

Ohhhhhhhh, how sweet and smooth this daisy of a bourbon is!  A very light bit of heat (almost nonexistent) on the lips and tongue and the flavor has all the vanilla and cinnamon that you get in the smell, along with the right amount of oak flavoring.  The finish is, as expected, silky smooth.  Mmmm...it's not often a bourbon leaves you grinning like the Grinch after each sip.  That Warehouse H must be the wardrobe into Narnia, where this magical bottle of elixir fits right in!  

Is it worth the $?

I got this for $45 at the Navy Exchange....to that, I say:  HELL YEAH!