Blanton's Single Barrel Black Label Warehouse H Rick No. 6 (2023) Japan Edition 75cl

Blanton's Single Barrel Black Label Warehouse H Rick No. 6 (2023) Japan Edition 75cl

Blanton's was released in 1984 as the first commercially marketed single barrel bourbon. This paved the way for many others to follow. Along with small-batch varieties, these "super premium" expressions helped sow the seeds for what would become a 21st century bourbon comeback. Blanton's remains one of the most popular and polarizing bourbons on the market.

While ma ny seek a coveted bottle there are many varieties that have been produced and are not well known. Warehouse H is dedicated to everything Blanton's, and documents all known bottles produced to date

Normally a 6 to 8 year old bourbon, it is aged in Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace, which is the only metal-clad warehouse at the distillery, commissioned for construction by Albert B. Blanton, after whom the whiskey is named. The warehouse was built shortly after prohibition and being metal, transfers heat quicker than brick warehouses, allowing for more rapid ageing.

The popularity of these products was particularly high in Japan, coinciding with a market boom for American whiskey there in the 1980s. In 1991, with Age International in some financial trouble, a Japanese company called Takaro Shuzo stepped in and acquired a 22.5% stake in the company. In an unusual series of events, they then scuppered a deal the following year that was to see the remaining shares sold to Heublein (a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan). Their deal the year before had included a 30 day right of refusal to purchase the shares for themselves should they be put up for sale. With the deal all but done, the Japanese company stepped in on the final day of the window to acquire full control of the company. As it turned out, their only interest was in the brands, and they had used the 30 days to negotiate a deal with the Sazerac Company of New Orleans. This saw the American company take ownership of the distillery (which they renamed Buffalo Trace in 1999), as well as the exclusive production and US distribution rights for the Age International labels. This is an arrangement that is still in place today.

This is a 2023 bottling of the Black Label release for the Japanese market.

Since 1999, every bottle of Blanton's has one of 8 different stoppers, each depicting a horse and jockey at a different stage of finishing a race. The designs are all lettered so that a complete set laid out side by side will spell "BLANTONS."

* PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE STOPPER AS IT WILL DIFFER BOTTLE TO BOTTLE *

40% ABV

75cl