Whether or not you’re a seasoned sipper or making an attempt to keep away from secondary market markup, listed below are 5 international-friendly bottles price your consideration.
Blanton’s Single Barrel is a cult favourite, however with rising costs and patchy availability, followers are attempting to find credible options.
Fortunately, a number of high-rye bourbons beneath $100 provide comparable candy and spicy complexity with clean drinkability.
What Makes Blanton’s Particular?
Blanton’s stands out for its steadiness of sweetness and spice. Made with a high-rye mash invoice (round 12–15%). At 93 proof, it’s clean and flavorful, providing simply sufficient rye kick with out overwhelming the palate. It’s this candy and spicy profile that retains it in excessive demand. Together with a slightly fancy-looking bottle and an interesting historical past that options bourbon icons comparable to Elmer T. Lee and, after all, Albert Bacon Blanton.
Its standing is once more bolstered by its standing as the primary single barrel bourbon marketed in the US.
Nonetheless, Blanton’s can also be well-known for its rarity and rising costs. It stays notably troublesome to pay money for in the US.
While many bourbon lovers want to gather Blanton’s to finish the vertical of horse bottle stoppers, an equal quantity simply need to pattern the bourbon for themselves.
So, this text is to not say “stop your hunt for Blanton’s”. Whether it is an goal for you, then maintain chasing. Nonetheless, the whiskeys under will present the tastiness and complexity that Blanton’s is thought for with out the burgeoning price ticket. So, you may maintain sipping on one thing great while you proceed your search.
4 Roses Single Barrel – The Excessive Rye Basic
For those who’re chasing the spice in Blanton’s, 4 Roses Single Barrel delivers in spades. Its mash invoice contains a hefty 35% rye, greater than double what you’ll discover in lots of bourbons, giving it a daring, peppery edge.
Flavors of honeyed caramel, ripe stone fruit, and vanilla soften the spice, whereas toasted oak and lightweight brown sugar add depth. At 100 proof, it’s wealthy however clean, with a shiny, balanced end. It’s no secret that I’m a giant fan of 4 Roses, and the only barrel providing is a giant a part of that.
Typically priced round $50, it’s broadly accessible and constantly glorious, making it one of many best-value single barrels available on the market.
Bulleit Bourbon – Daring Spice, On a regular basis Value
Bulleit is likely one of the boldest bourbons in its class, due to a mash invoice that pushes rye as much as 28%. That spice reveals up instantly, suppose black pepper, oak, and cinnamon, balanced by candy notes of caramel, toffee, and a touch of orange zest.
It’s bottled at 90 proof and drinks clear, with a dry end lifted by touches of butterscotch and mint.
At round $30 a bottle, Bulleit is each reasonably priced and globally accessible, making it a straightforward high-rye various when Blanton’s is off the shelf.
Basil Hayden – Mild, Spicy, and Approachable
For a gentler tackle the high-rye model, Basil Hayden’s presents a clean and approachable pour. Made with 27% rye, it delivers smooth spice, cinnamon, oak, and a contact of warmth that’s balanced by caramel, vanilla, and dried fruit.
At simply 80 proof, it’s lighter than most bourbons on this listing, however nonetheless holds its taste with a heat, candy, and spicy end.
Priced round $45/$50 and broadly distributed, it’s a straightforward step up for drinkers in search of one thing smoother than Blanton’s however nonetheless rye ahead.
1792 Small Batch – Large Taste, Small Value
1792 Small Batch leans into boldness, providing a punchy mixture of rye spice and traditional bourbon sweetness. Although the mash invoice isn’t disclosed, it’s marketed as excessive rye, which is estimated between 15–25%.
Black pepper and baking spices hit up entrance, adopted by layers of vanilla, caramel, and a contact of darkish fruit. It’s full-flavored and assertive, however nonetheless balanced sufficient to sip simply.
Typically discovered for $30/$40, 1792 is a standout worth and a robust Blanton’s various for many who like their bourbon with a bit extra chew.
Wild Turkey Uncommon Breed – Barrel Proof, Blanton’s DNA
Uncommon Breed brings the candy and spicy steadiness of Blanton’s however turns up the amount. Made with a medium rye mash invoice (13%) and bottled at barrel proof, often round 112/116, it’s wealthy, intense, and unapologetically daring.
Anticipate a wave of caramel, maple syrup, and candied citrus peel, backed by black pepper, toasted oak, and leather-based. Regardless of the excessive ABV, it stays clean and layered, with an extended, warming end.
At $50/$65, Uncommon Breed is a top-tier worth for a cask-strength bourbon and is broadly accessible throughout international markets.
Why These Options Work
Every of those bourbons captures what makes Blanton’s so interesting: a excessive rye mash invoice, a candy and spicy taste profile, and clean drinkability. Some lean bolder (Uncommon Breed, 1792), others extra refined (Basil Hayden’s, 4 Roses), however all strike a well-recognized steadiness of caramel sweetness and rye-driven spice.
They’re additionally simpler to seek out, extra reasonably priced, every beneath $100, and provide constant high quality with out the collector’s markup. So whether or not Blanton’s is offered out or simply stretching your price range, these bottles ship the character you’re after, with out compromise.