Blanton's - Special Reserve - Green - (Europe) - 80 Proof
$60
Blanton’s – Special Reserve – Green – (Europe) – 80 Proof
Barrel Info: Dumped 4/15/21 – Warehouse H – Rick No 23 – Barrel 208 – Bottle 94
Proof: 80
Age: 6 Years
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Single Barrel
Mash: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (Estimated around 15% Rye)
Website: Buffalo Trace Distillery
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Fresh Oak, Orange Citrus and Apricot, Rye Spice & Musty Leather. Ethanol is present on the nose and it presents itself higher than 80 Proof.
Taste/Palate: Not overly complex palate. It’s simple and to the point. Caramel, Mild Ethanol accompanied by Rye Spice, & Vanilla.
Finish: Baking spices show up on the finish, All Spice and some Cinnamon. A little Orange Citrus brings this home. Short to Medium on the Finish.
Verdict: Out of the entire Blanton’s line it was the one I was least excited about. That bias is why I did a Blind taste and review. The Blanton’s Euro Green has a cult following beyond the standard Blanton’s because it appeared in a John Wick movie when he was in Europe. Its a smaller bottle (50ml Less), lower proof than standard Blanton’s, and less age than the Cousin from Japan – Blanton’s Black. It’s a simple pour that didn’t stand out to me. It honestly reminded me of Blade and Bow, but fetching 5x time more due to being Blanton’s and in a movie. If you buy it you won’t spit it out in disgust, but don’t expect something miraculous.
Price Ceiling (The Most I’d pay for this bottle): $50-$75 (Secondary on this bottle is fetching $250+ due to reasons mentioned above.) Unless you can find it in the MSRP range it won’t deliver juice that justifies the secondary price. Unless…. You want a shelf trophy.
The Story: It took me a while to amass the entire “standard” collection to do this head to head (times 7) review. I even had to borrow the bottle of Takara Gold on loan from a friend. After finally getting all 7 in my collection I had the wife put all 7 in random order for a blind tasting. I took my tasting notes on each as I went and I ranked them all prior to revealing which one was which. After I release all 7 reviews I’ll do one final write up that consolidates all 7. I can say that there were some surprises in the results, but nothing too crazy.
If you know anything about Bourbon I’m sure that that Blanton’s name is not new to you. What might come as a surprise is the different variations of Blanton’s that go across the pond that never see the light of day in the US. Here’s a breakdown of what I reviewed in the 7 Bottle Blanton’s Showdown. (All are Single Barrel)
– Japan – Blanton’s Gold – 103 Proof (Aged 8 Years)
– Europe – Blanton’s Special Reserve – 80 Proof (Aged 6 Years)
– United States – Blanton’s – 93 Proof
– Japan – Blanton’s Black – 80 Proof (Aged 8 years)
– Europe – Blanton’s Gold – 103 Proof (Aged 6 Years)
– United States – Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel – 129.2 Proof (Aged 6 Years)
– Japan – Blanton’s “Red” (Label looks cream color, but the box is red) – 93 Proof (Aged 8 Years
Blanton’s Euro Green is featured in John Wick 2 I believe. Since he’s in Europe it is a surprisingly accurate detail that they get right for the movie. For that reason, the Green Label that stands out, and well, it’s Blanton’s this one fetches a pretty coin on secondary markets. I believe they are around $50-$75 MSRP in Euro markets, but to get them back here in the US it takes more bucks than that. It’s important to note that bottles (currently) sent to Europe are in 700ml, which is 50ml less than the Blanton’s being offered here and in Japan. I hear a glass shortage and possible legislation might change that, but as of the time that this was written that’s a good way to tell if it was a Euro bottle or not.
The Distillery’s Story: “Named after former distillery president Colonel Albert B. Blanton, who always had very special supply of bourbon – his private reserve – handpicked and stored in legendary famous Warehouse H. The Blanton’s brand was launched in 1984 when Elmer T. Lee introduced the world to Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon a year before he retired. In doing so, he revolutionized the industry with the world’s first single barrel bourbon.”
Blanton’s is one of the highly sought after lines coming out of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Other high demand brands coming out of Buffalo Trace are Eagle Rare, Sazerac, Weller, E.H. Taylor, The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Pappy Van Winkle, Old Carter, Elmer T Lee, & George T Stagg. Even the standard line of Buffalo Trace and their Bourbon Cream are hard to come by. Buffalo Trace pumps out a lot of high quality bourbon at usually a more than fair MSRP.
For Blanton’s specifically I asked myself the question “Why the heck does Japan get all the 8 year Blanton’s? Why does Poland have a special Blue label Blanton’s (Not included in the head to head)? Up until 2020 the United States, the only country that can produce bourbon had only one variation of Blanton’s. That was the Standard Tan Label, 93 Proof aged 6 years. In 2020 Blanton’s released on a very limited supply, Blanton’s Gold 103 Proof and Blanton Straight from the Barrel in the US. Both are 6 year offerings though. So once again, why is Europe and Japan getting all these variations on proof and extra age?
I went down a bit of a rabbit hole, but here’s what I found out. Blanton’s is distilled with Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2. This Mash bill is said to be the “high rye” at around 15%. In my opinion that’s not “high rye” but at Buffalo Trace it is. Anywho, It’s said that Ancient Age actually owns that Mash Bill and has ties back to Japan. The older “good stuff” is sent oversees to Europe and Japan and here in the US we are left with the one variation. In 2020 that did change slightly when the US added on a very limited supply the Blanton’s Gold and Straight from the Barrel. I’m not sure if there was a change of heart here in the us, a change in ownership, or what, but it’s good to see. From what I hear Blanton’s is well liked in Europe and in Japan, but not like it is here. It’s much easier to find on the shelf and you don’t have to sell your first born to get it.
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Average. Not bad, but not special.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Reviewer: David S
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