I just recently purchased this one - and despite having a whole slew of other store picks to choose from, I had a strange feeling this one would be worth trying right away. I think I have 4 different Blanton's letters open at this point. I may need to have more company over soon as I usually choose this as my sharing pour for folks that don't usually drink whiskey. I shared a pour of this with @AmongstTheFernsCo and she really liked it.
Company on Label: Blanton Distilling Company
Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (Higher Rye 12-15%)
Proof: 93°
Age: 6 years
Further identification: Dumped 8-23-21 from Warehouse H, Rick 21, Barrel 260, Bottle 239. This is a store selected barrel pick from Wyman's Liquors
Nose: Mmm, very caramel forward. It's silky in texture. Bits of level oak influence meander across the top of the glass, while malt and sweet herbs slowly builds in the background. Light, fluffy vanilla is starting to build now too. Time for a sip. After tasting, some faint black pepper and earthy, woody molasses combine well. Light linen undertones do well here and are a hallmark Buffalo Trace characteristic that must have something to do with their local grain sources or processes. Definitely more peppery later in the glass. As I near the bottom of the glass there's a comfortable floral characteristic that comes off as very 'easy'.
Palate: Oh yeah, a lot of that same powerful caramel from the nose, with an added layer of maraschino cherry syrup. It reminds me of licking the spoon clean after scooping out a few cherries for a cocktail. It also has a darker profile than I am used to on Blanton's; it kind of drinks above its proof here, which is a great thing considering the low 93 proof starting point. There are some characteristics of this (mainly on the slight bit of punchy spice delivery to the top of my tongue) that reminds me a little of the Straight from the Barrel release I reviewed. Some plum sweetness is also present near the bottom of the glass. There is actually a fairly long linger to this, where some orange peel and caramel just sits on the top of my tongue for a while. The last sip has slight hints of chocolate and more caramel. The biggest proponent of this pour is the strength and consistency of the caramel note. Yum!