95 points Wine Enthusiast: "[$50 list] Pour it, and let it sit awhile; this one opens up and gets more aromatic, rich and flavorful, like wine. It starts off with a candied sweetness and touches of coconut and tea on the nose, then opens up to deeper caramel tones. Orange and caramel flavors, mellow, smooth, linger on the finish. Light-bodied, despite the bold, luxurious flavors. And oh, that pretty bottle, like an oversized perfume flask. Add this one to your gift list. (Sep 2010)"

Wine Spectator: "[$50 list] (style: classic - sweet corn and vanilla) Custard, pepper, orange peel and grassy rye fill the nose. In the mouth, it's a breakneck ride: an initial rush of dry corn and grassy rye, a broad wave of sweeter corn in the middle, and a finish of sugar and rough spearmint. One of the first specialty Bourbons, and still one of the best. 93 proof. (1/31/12)"

Colonel Albert B. Blanton first bottled his private reserve Bourbon nearly a century ago. And that's the way Blanton is bottled today. A Bourbon's peak maturity varies from barrel to barrel. And only a master distiller can determine the exact moment the whiskey has extracted enough flavor from the wood. Thus he vigilantly monitors each barrel until it's aged to perfection and is deemed worthy of the Blanton label.