American Whiskey Review #99: Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Proof Omaha Pick
Distillery: Buffalo Trace.
Region: Kentucky.
Age: NAS. Dumped on July 26th, 2021.
ABV: 46.5%.
Barrel Number: 21, Warehouse H, Rick #4
Price: $85 (with $20 going to Angels Among Us).
Color: 1.4, Tawny.
Nose: Rich baking spices all over the place. There’s a lot of oak along with a caramel cream note.
Palate: Warm and pleasant. Much like the nose, a lot of oak comes through but not an unpleasant level of it. There’s a woody, nutty caramel along with freshly polished leather. With a splash of water and some time, the oakiness does die down and that nutty caramel note becomes stronger.
Finish: Medium in length. Cherries and cream come through the most. There’s some more of the woody, nutty note from the palate as well.
Conclusion: I’m not the greatest fan of Blanton’s and Buffalo Trace, I usually find it overoaked and just not geared toward my palate. Still, the picks by the staff at Proof in Omaha have always been good ones so I figured I’d give this a whirl. I’m pleasantly surprised. While there is a ton of oak present from start to finish here, this barrel pick manages to tow the line of “just enough” incredibly well. The caramel notes that starts off a bit creamy before turning a bit nutty is fun. The little bit of cherries and cream that comes in toward the back are tasty as well. Not a bad pick by Joel & team, not bad at all!
Final Score: 80.
American Whiskey Review #99, Bourbon Review #72, Whisky Network Review #463
Scoring Legend:
- 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
- 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
- 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
- 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
- 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
- 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
- 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
- Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.
Scotch & Sheen 
