Blanton's Gold - The Unbottling

[@CômeDUVOISIN]

I saw that it was available at "La Maison du Whisky" rue d'Anjou in Paris (France)

[@KeithMonroe]

The gold is great, so can’t wait for it to come available

[@DrinkingOutLoud]

It's always a treat when we managed to get some.

[@themiddleearthcollector2785]

Watching this right now, I just stumbled onto this channel now. Awesome. I’m in BC as well. Just subbed to this channel. Cheers

[@DrinkingOutLoud]

Thanks for the sub buddy! If you're ever in Vic then be sure to swing by for a wee dram - it'd be great to meet you. And if your username is accurate then you can probably have one heck of a Tolkien chat with my colleague Andrew!

[@themiddleearthcollector2785]

@@DrinkingOutLoud I’m huge into Tolkien. I am enlarging my library of books, and am always getting more lord of the rings statues. I just ordered the new King of the Dead statue that Weta just released. There is another guy on the coast that has a channel with a guy from Alberta. Lord of the Collections. Love their channel. My 3 passions in life are lord of the rings, whiskey, and food. (in particular for food, smoking meat, wild game specificly). Definitely would like to meet both of you. I can jabber on like a monkey in a tree with those passions of mine. I really do love them, and learned a lot from them. Your in Victoria, do you like to go deep sea fishing/ocean fishing? Love that too. I have a bit of fishing videos on my channel too. Cheers man. I would really like to talk to you both. 🥃🥃

[@KeithMonroe]

If you look for the last in the Horseman has his arm raised for victory

[@DrinkingOutLoud]

Aye, it's a nice touch eh?

[@12345678981010]

in sweden you can buy it whenever you want from the goverment systembolaget for 100 dollars. always in stock.

[@DrinkingOutLoud]

Interesting! Thanks for the comment. I wonder if it's less popular in Sweden or if you just get more of it. It's silly rare in North America and almost impossible to find in the UK.

[@dneuens]

@@DrinkingOutLoud From what I understand, Blanton's Gold was an exclusively international release, mostly going to Japan. With COVID restrictions, along with several other releases, saw Gold and some normally international bottles trickle their way into US markets. It's hard to say why it's hard to find in one country or area vs another. Distribution makes little sense. But my only guess is that the Swedish market isn't as big on bourbon, or Blanton's in particular. I know Sweden is very restrictive with where and when you can even buy alcohol. A Swedish friend of mine was a truck driver and would load his truck with alcohol from Germany when he had to drive there so he didn't have to deal with all the Swedish liquor restrictions or wait in line for hours.

[@dneuens]

IMO, Gold is actually the best of the core 3 Blanton's (though, admittedly, none of them are all that great or nearly worth their asking price). I often prefer barrel proof/cask strength offerings, but 103 just kind of suits the profile, much like 107 best suits the Weller profile vs Full Proof.

[@DrinkingOutLoud]

Thanks for the comment. It's certainly my prefered of the two I've tried, but I've never had the chance to try the Straight From The Barrel. One day hopefully! I tend to find myself drawn to bottled in bond bourbons myself. 50% abv seems to work well with the style of Bourbon. Although, the beauty of barrel proof is you can always add water to suit your taste.

[@dneuens]

@@DrinkingOutLoud Absolutely, and there are many offerings where the barrel proof/cask strength is the best expression. It's all the intensity, complexity, and texture. Plenty of 100 or sub-100 proof bourbons aren't great but their barrel proofs are amazing. It's why there are so many "proof hounds" who just want the highest ABV you can offer, but there are times where some whiskeys shine better at lower proof points. Old Forester is one for me, where the barrel proofs just feel like it's too much. Get them around 100 and you can have a more nuanced experience that isn't just a full on palate assault.