Blanton's Black Label is the Japan-market version of the original single barrel bourbon, bottled at a gentle 80 proof. This bottle comes from a 2020 dumping, and the black label and Japanese back label make it easy to spot in a collection.
About This Bourbon
Black Label, often called Takara Black, is a Blanton's single barrel bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) for the Japanese market, and first appeared in the mid-1990s. It is widely said to use older barrels than the US bottling, though the brand does not publish an age statement. At the lower strength it is soft and very easy to sip. The 2020 in the name refers to the bottling year shown on the label.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Honey, vanilla and caramel, with orange zest, cherry and light oak.
- Palate: Soft and smooth, with toffee, sweet corn, a little cinnamon and gentle barrel sweetness.
- Finish: Medium and clean, with vanilla, citrus peel and a light dry oak note.
Serving & Food
At 40% this is the gentlest Blanton's. Try it over one clear ice cube in a rocks glass, or as a highball with chilled soda and a strip of lemon peel. It suits yakitori, grilled unagi or salted caramel.
How to Enjoy
Blanton's collectors filling in the Japanese labels, and anyone after a mild bourbon.
Product Details
Producer: Buffalo Trace Distillery, for Age International (Blanton's)
Expression: Black Label (Takara Black), Japan-market edition
Category: Single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (higher rye)
Bottling year: 2020
ABV / Strength: 80 proof / 40% ABV
Bottle size / Format: 750mL
Edition: Japan-market bottling
About the Distillery
Blanton's was the first modern bourbon sold one barrel at a time. Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee created it in 1984, a year before he retired, in honour of Colonel Albert B. Blanton, who joined the Frankfort distillery as an office boy in 1897, became president in 1921 and led it until 1952. The Colonel liked to pick his own "honey barrels" from Warehouse H for guests, and Lee built the brand on that habit.
Warehouse H is a metal-clad building, so it warms and cools faster than the brick warehouses around it and the spirit works in and out of the oak more actively. Blanton's is distilled at Buffalo Trace from its higher-rye Mash Bill #2, and each bottle is hand-labelled with its barrel, rick and dump date. The brand itself is owned by Age International, part of Japan's Takara group, which is why several versions exist only outside the US.