Whiskey Review: Blanton's Bourbon

Blanton's.  That name evokes a sense of bourbon royalty.  Probably pronounced Blon-tonne's, you know, to make it fancy.  My bottle even reads: This Bourbon whiskey dumped on 12-15-15 (in what appears to be handwriting) from Barrel No. 57 Stored in Warehouse H on Rick No 6 Individually selected filtered and bottled by hand at 93 proof.  Each Bottle is recorded with the Master Registrar at Blanton Distilling Company This Registered Bottle No is 68.  

Holy shit that is cool.  You can't see the top in this picture, but there is a guy on a horse.  The Bourbon with a horse on top.  Anyways, I digress.  How I was introduced to Blanton's bourbon was due to being stuck at a conference in the Chicago suburban town of Itasca while attending a conference.  The town was rather sleepy in general and very uninteresting.  While I am normally inclined to explore local bars when traveling, driving into the resort hotel, there really wasn't much to see.  So I resigned myself to a likely very unspectacular hotel bar.  After scrolling through their whiskey list, there was only one that I hadn't tried yet: Blanton's.  I ordered one and apparently it was ordered so infrequently, they had to get a brand new bottle from storage.  In fact the second bartender didn't even recognize the bottle, I had to tell him, the one with the horse on top.  Anyhow, I digress..again, hmm maybe I should take my meds from now on...My first encounter with Blanton's got me hooked.  It has a nice full but not too assertive scent.  I can say I get hints of honey, and almost a sort of...I don't know, burnt sugar smell?  The flavor is complex, there is a lot going on, but smooth, and not overbearing.  There is a sweet quality to it at the beginning, then it ends with a nice bite.  The finish, although somewhat biting, is also warming and leaves a nice aftertaste.  All in all.  This is good, really good.  To the bottle, I said:

As in the next day, and the next, and the next. 

The numbers: I am not going to lie, it is expensive.  I used to see it for about $45 and balked at that price.  However, I have since had a difficult time even finding a bottle to purchase.  I found this one at Whole Foods Market for $49.99, which is $10 less than I saw it for at Bevmo the same week.  

It reminds me of...sitting in a nice restaurant bar with good company and good drinks not caring if we are being seated late.

The verdict: This bottle definitely runs on the expensive side, but for what you get it is worth it if you are an enthusiast, but unless you are rolling in cash, I would reserve this for special occasions.  

Please comment below!  If you think there is something I must try or something you want me to review, toss it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

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Professional tasting notes:
TheWhiskeyJug.com
whiskey.underthelabel.com

Whiskey Review: Angels Envy

Angel's Envy.  What a name.  The words evoke a harp playing cherub looking down upon you, shining a light on your bottle and drooling.  Indeed, if anything can make an Angel envy you, bourbon would be it.  Even the bottle has the classic angel wing pattern on its back, much like the angel wing tattoos you find on people who are most definitely not.  On to the show.

I had seen this offering on several bar menus, but never really ventured to try it.  Then while sitting at a small bar in Picnic Restaurant at Playa Del Rey killing time, I started speaking with the lovely bartender, Jen, who was also a whiskey drinker herself.  She highly recommended Angel's Envy, and although a balked a bit at the $15 price tag per pour, I knew Jen would give me a healthy sized serving so I went for it.  What sold me though is she informed me that it was finished in port barrels.  That peaked my interest, and soon I tracked down a whole bottle for myself.  From the moment you get the bottle you can sense you are in for a treat, the unusual shape, the interesting name, and the hand written batch and bottle number label on the side.  The smell was assertive, including your usual bourbon suspects, but also a hit of something like pastries...with caramel.  I really have no precise way to describe it, but it smells good.  The first sip will start off almost sweet, definitely a tad caramelly, and then the classic bourbon flavors rush in, finishing with a slight but not overpowering burn.  Super.  Good.  I think this has a great blend of sweet, spicy, smooth and burn to appeal to most whiskey drinkers in one way or another.  There is definitely a uniqueness to the flavors. Just be careful though because this is what you get after you finish the bottle:

The numbers: This tends to go for a little more, usually around $55 to $65, I have seen it at Bevmo and Ralphs.  

It reminds me of...angels, duh.

The verdict: It is certainly on the high side in terms of price, especially for a domestic bottle.  However, it is worth it, especially if you have someone to impress or a special occasion. It is so unique that I would probably not mind spending the money just to have a bottle around the liquor cabinet at all times, just in case. 

Please comment below!  If you think there is something I must try or something you want me to review, toss it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

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Professional tasting notes:
TheWhiskeyJug.com
whiskeyreviewer.com