blanton's red comparison
Blanton's Red Single Barrel Bourbon vs Blanton's Red HBA Barrel Select
The minute I found (and bought) a Blanton’s Takara Red HBA Single Barrel Pick (HBA = Hotel Barmen Association Japan), I knew I had to do this comparison to find out the possible variation between barrels. Backing up though, Blanton’s Takara Red is a Japan-only release of the 46.5% ABV version sold across the world, but the main difference is that it’s at least 8 years old instead of 6 years old…or at least that’s what rumored.
Japan gets a bunch of exclusive Blanton’s releases because the brand is owned by a Japanese company, so they probably choose to offer a greater variety to the Japanese market (aka their home market). For example, Blanton’s Takara Gold (~8 years old vs ~6 years for “normal” Gold) and Black (~8 years old and 40% ABV) are still Japan-exclusives. As a result, Japan has Blanton’s Red Single Barrel picks.
That said, this HBA pick is only the second one I’ve ever seen or heard of. This also makes me wonder if Blanton’s Takara Gold and/or Straight From The Barrel picks exist too. Here’s a fun fact for you – takara means “treasure” in Japanese and hence why the top of the box has a gold coin-looking thing on it. You can even say that the “treasure” means 2 extra years of barrel aging compared to the “non-treasure” versions.
Single barrel bourbons inherently have some to a lot of variation, so trying multiple single barrels is an interesting experience to explore the possible range. In this case, one of them being a pick further highlights how people have influence over the final bottled whiskey. So in this Blanton’s Red Single Barrel Bourbon Comparison, let’s find out just how different these two barrels are and what the HBA may have been trying to accomplish with this pick.
Let’s go digging for treasure and see what we find.
The below table outlines key facts and figures for what I am comparing.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for my reviews and comparisons (because they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass, Set of 6, Clear, 6 Pack. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
How do they Compare?
Whiskey is also for sharing, so I use Vivaplex, 12, Amber, 2 oz Glass Bottles, with Lids for smaller samples and Vivaplex, 12, Amber, 4 oz Glass Bottles, with Lids for larger ones. Full transparency – This is an Amazon affiliate link so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else. Regardless, I actually use these myself.
And the winner is...HBA Pick
Whoa, the non-pick and HBA barrel pick are drastically different bourbons with distinct personalities. The non-pick one is more herbal, earthy, and dry with licorice, fennel, ginseng, rosemary, and thyme while still carrying a good amount of honey, cherry, apple, and orange. The HBA Single Barrel Pick packs more sweet and fruity honey, caramel, strawberry, and cherry than the non-pick Red, with far far less earthy, herbal, and dry notes.
The HBA’s flavors are also a bit more round and viscous, probably because of the extra sugar and fruit. I shouldn’t be so surprised given now much barrel variation I’ve personally experienced when picking barrels, but this is even more interesting because both of these were selected, bottled, and released.
To sum this all up, I pick the HBA selection (by a hair) mainly because I slightly prefer the sweeter, fruitier, and viscous characteristics, but it’s still not perfect by any means…but you can read that in the review itself. This Blanton’s Red Single Barrel Bourbon comparison yet again reinforces that barrel selection is so important when distilleries release single barrel whiskeys, groups pick single barrels, and when master distillers blend batched whiskeys (e.g., Wild Turkey 13 Year Distiller’s Reserve vs 13 Year Father and Son). There are so many factors that influence the final bottled product, and it’s cool to experience a piece of that process.
Whoa, the non-pick and HBA barrel pick are drastically different bourbons with distinct personalities. The non-pick one is more herbal, earthy, and dry with licorice, fennel, ginseng, rosemary, and thyme while still carrying a good amount of honey, cherry, apple, and orange. The HBA Single Barrel Pick packs more sweet and fruity honey, caramel, strawberry, and cherry than the non-pick Red, with far far less earthy, herbal, and dry notes.
The HBA’s flavors are also a bit more round and viscous, probably because of the extra sugar and fruit. I shouldn’t be so surprised given now much barrel variation I’ve personally experienced when picking barrels, but this is even more interesting because both of these were selected, bottled, and released.
To sum this all up, I pick the HBA selection (by a hair) mainly because I slightly prefer the sweeter, fruitier, and viscous characteristics, but it’s still not perfect by any means…but you can read that in the review itself. This Blanton’s Red Single Barrel Bourbon comparison yet again reinforces that barrel selection is so important.
Its importance is apparent when distilleries release single barrel whiskeys and groups pick single barrels, but it’s just as important when master distillers blend batched whiskeys (e.g., Wild Turkey 13 Year Distiller’s Reserve vs 13 Year Father and Son). There are so many factors that influence the final bottled product, and it’s cool to experience a piece of that process.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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If you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Shattered glass Glencairn’s really suck. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
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