Blanton’s Takara Gold Review

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Bottle Basics

Name: Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Gold Edition (Note: The word “Takara” is not actually included as part of the name but is commonly used to discern the Japanese version from the normal version.)
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (exact recipe is undisclosed)
Proof: 103
ABV: 51.5%
Age: NAS. Rumored to be 8yrs.
Size: 750ml
MSRP: $120 USD

Additional Details

Bottling Date: December 10 ,2021
Barrel Number: 211
Warehouse: H
Rick Number: 27
Distiller Notes:

Blanton’s Gold Edition was created for discerning bourbon aficionados who appreciate exceptional smoothness and complexity in their bourbon whiskey. The nose is first marked by spicy rye and tobacco notes. Caramel and honey follow soon after, mingled with dark fruit and citrus notes. The palate emulates the same complex nose with rye, tobacco, and honey at the forefront. Round and bold notes of charred oak and vanilla carry you through to an extremely long and harmonious finish. This bourbon consistently delivers on balance and character, on par with the world’s finest whiskey. Best served neat or with a splash of water. Bottled at 51.5% alcohol by volume. — Source

ひと樽の原酒のみを、樽出し原酒に近い状態でボトリングしたシングルバレルバーボンウイスキー。崇高な香りと深い味わいを重ね持つ、その比類なき品質。

[English Translation] This single barrel bourbon whiskey is bottled using only the base spirit from one barrel, in a state close to barrel-aged base spirit. Its unparalleled quality lies in the sublime aroma and profound taste it possesses. — Source

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Introduction

Blanton’s Gold is a rare and coveted bourbon that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. It’s extremely limited in quantity and availability in the US, since this particular expression was not originally distributed in the US market. It was only since February 2020 that Buffalo Trace Distillery announced that Blanton’s Gold would finally make its way to the US.

Although this version of Blanton’s Gold was only recently made available to purchase in the US, it’s been around before then in international markets, Japan being one of them. This version was also the first Blanton’s Gold I picked up at a BIC Camera in downtown Sapporo, Japan.

Meanwhile, in addition to the normal Blanton’s Gold, there is what’s known as Blanton’s “Takara” Gold version. Takara is a reference to Takara Shuzo, the company that owns Age International, which is the marketing/sales group that owns the Blanton’s brand. In this post, I’ll be talking about this particular version.

As a relatively new whiskey enthusiast, I was eager to try this particular expression from the Blanton’s lineup. This bottle used to be regularly stocked at one of the local stores I frequent in my city, Sapporo. Since border restrictions have eased up during what seemingly is the tail end of the covid pandemic, I have not seen it on shelves since, so I’m glad to have snagged a few while I had a chance.

In my post, I’ll start out by noting some physical differences between the normal Blanton’s Gold version and the Takara Gold version, while later moving into the tasting, and then my concluding thoughts on it as a whole. Let’s dive right in!

Appearance

The appearance of the Blanton’s Takara Gold bottle and box is elegant and distinctive, with a classic design that is instantly recognizable to whiskey enthusiasts. However, there are a few key differentiating factors to note about this Japanese version!

Bottle Wax

For those unaware of Blanton’s in general, the bottle itself is made of thick, heavy glass and features a rounded, bulbous shape with a slightly tapered neck. It is sealed with a cork stopper that is topped with a distinctive metal horse and jockey figurine, which is unique to the Blanton’s brand. These traits, however, apply to all Blanton’s expressions.

The figurine is hand-dipped in different colored waxes to denote which of the eight bourbons in the Blanton’s range the bottle contains, and in the case of both Blanton’s Gold and Takara Gold, the wax color is surprisingly… not gold.

I’ve seen gold wax on SFTB bottles, and on Takara Red bottles, but not Gold or Takara Gold bottles, which is a head scratcher… (anyways I digress)

The normal Gold version will have a brownish/black wax, while the Takara Gold has red/maroon wax.

Bottleneck Label

The label on the front of the bottle features the name “Blanton’s Gold Edition” in elegant script. On the normal version, the backside of the label has no further information on it. However, the Takara Gold version includes a Japanese description of the type of spirit, bottle capacity, country of origin (USA), importer details (i.e. Takara Shuzo), company address of importer, and a standard alcohol warning.

Bottle Design

The body of the bottle for Blanton’s Gold features the standard bottle information like all other expressions, but with no sticky label. Instead, the information is written in gold script directly on the glass. The parts that are different between the normal Gold and Takara Gold are all in the juicy little itty bitty details.

ABV Placement & Writing

On the normal version, the ABV is written on the lower left side of the main bottle information, and is also written in decimal form like so, 51.5%. For the Takara Gold version, the ABV if found on the opposite lower right side, but with the .5 part of the number written as a fraction like this, 51½%.

Meanwhile, on the opposite sides for each, the normal version in the lower right side you can see 70cl e, and what looks to be the European recycling symbol (a sure indication this is from the international market). On the Takara Gold version, in the lower left side, “Kentucky Straight Bourbon” is written in all caps.

Bottle Capacity (i.e. size)

This one is pretty straightforward, and what I like to think as one of the easiest ways to tell which is the normal Blanton’s Gold from the Takara Gold. The normal version will have a capacity of 700ml written on the side (in additional to the 70cl that’s written on the front), while the Takara Gold version has 750ml.

Box Design

Let’s talk about the box, because this is where the differences get a little more interesting.

The box that the normal Blanton’s Gold bottle comes in follows the same layout and design as the other expressions, the difference being the Gold version of the bottle being displayed, and its gold/yellow background (kind of reminds me of corn soup). On the back, you have some basic distiller backstory, but no particular mention of Blanton’s Gold specifically.

The Blanton’s Takara Gold box, on the other hand, is straight up gold. It’s also textured with tiny circular perforations, which gives it a nice feel when holding it. Unlike the printed design of the bottle on the normal version’s box, what we see for the Takara Gold box is imagery of the iconic Kentucky derby horse race (also the same design used for Blanton’s Takara Black and Takara Red). The distiller backstory that’s located on the back of the box is actually different from the normal Gold version box. There’s specific mention about the process Blanton’s Gold goes through.

Now, the two box designs I mentioned so far are what you’ll typically find for Blanton’s Gold these days. However, there are other versions of Blanton’s Gold boxes floating out there in the wild, some of which are limited edition boxes (i don’t have any of those), and others being what might simply be past/older versions of the box. The latter is what I’ve come to stumble upon recently, and when I did, I was naturally quite confused.

Let me present to you… the silver Blanton’s Takara Gold box.

I’m going to have to do a separate review on these particular bottles, since I grabbed the only two that were there, and judging from the bottling dates (2007, 2008), I’m going to guess this box design was for the early 2000s Blanton’s Takara Gold bottles. When trying to research up on this, I literally could not find anything on these boxes.

Let’s also not confuse this with the actual Blanton’s Silver Edition, because that does exist. What this is is just a silver box. I’m sure the whiskey inside tastes all the same, but it was an interesting find nonetheless! These two particular bottles are so far the oldest bottled versions of Blanton’s I’ve found to date. I will likely be doing a separate review for these when I eventually come around to cracking them open.

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In The Box (i.e. accessories)

The normal Blanton’s Gold will come in a box, but that’s it, and nothing more. The Blanton’s Takara Gold version will come with a red velvet bag for the bottle, and an information booklet, which mostly contains the same story that’s mentioned on the box.

Whiskey Color

I did a side-by-side comparison in Glencairn glasses for the normal Blanton’s Gold and Takara Gold, and to be quite honest, I did not see much of a difference in terms of color. With the Takara Gold rumored to be aged two years longer than the normal version, I would have expected it to be slightly darker. But, I seriously could not make out any differences here.

The color for both is a deep, rich amber, with hints of gold and copper. When slowly rotating the bourbon in the glass to coat the sides, it’s quite evident there’s a bit of viscosity, with the legs moving slowly down the glass.

Tasting

Finally, on to what matters most… what 👏 the 👏 actual 👏 bourbon 👏 tastes 👏 like! How is it different from the normal gold? Is it worth the price?!

I know, and forgive me for going off the rails a bit and starting this off for what seemingly turned into a comparison review, it’s not. I want to circle back to just focusing on Blanton’s Takara Gold.

I promise you, a Blanton’s Gold VS Blanton’s Takara Gold comparison review is in the books, but that will need to be for a separate post. I did a somewhat mini comparison review in an IG post, which I linked in my previous blog post. You can check that out in the meantime.

Nose

When I first poured the Blanton’s Takara Gold into a glass, I was immediately struck with a waft of oak, which then was immediately followed by its fresh fruit aroma. I picked up on notes of pear, Fuji apple, and citrus, particularly mikan, which is a type of Japanese mandarin orange.

As I swirled the glass, the aroma became more complex, with hints of honey and caramel, caramel popcorn, and even apple Trolli gummies. I also got a little bit of apricot, and juicy fruit gum.

Palate

On the palate, Blanton’s Takara Gold is buttery and quite easy to drink, with just the right amount of bite. I definitely feel that extra 10 horsepower in this one (pun intended). The nose translates also well into the palate.

I additionally detected some notes that reminded me of Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel (SFTB), but they were toned down and not as rich, and obviously not as hot. Caramel popcorn (but spicy), and the kind you get at a carnival, is how I can best describe it. This is likely due to the fact that this was a neck pour, meaning that the first pour from the bottle can sometimes be more intense than subsequent pours. On my second sip, I noticed an immediate sweetness, with a slight butterscotch flavor.

Finish

The finish of the Blanton’s Takara Gold is medium in length, with a slight spiciness that comes from cloves and a peppery finish. There are also notes of vanilla and a dry finish that lingers a bit on the palate.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the Blanton’s Takara Gold to be a complex and enjoyable bourbon that offers a unique taste experience. The fresh fruit and honey-caramel aroma are particularly noteworthy, as is the viscous and buttery palate. While the finish is not particularly long, it still provides a pleasant and satisfying end to the tasting.

One thing to keep in mind is that Blanton’s Takara Gold is a relatively rare and expensive bourbon. It may not be accessible to everyone, but for those who are able to try it, it is certainly worth the investment IF you find it as MSRP, which you’ll have a greater likelihood of doing IF you’re in Japan. The unique flavor profile and pleasant drinking experience make it a great choice for a special occasion or a celebratory drink.

If you’re a fan of bourbon and are looking for something unique and special to try, I highly recommend giving Blanton’s Takara Gold a taste. With its fresh fruit and honey-caramel aroma, buttery and easy-to-drink palate, and medium-length finish, it is sure to be a standout in your whiskey collection. Just be prepared to pay a premium for this rare and coveted expression from the Buffalo Trace distillery.

Additional Images

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