Blanton's Gold Edition 103 Proof Bourbon

Price

$229.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: NAS (Typically 6–8 Years) | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA | Proof: 103 Proof

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

103

Proof

51.5%

ABV

750 mL

Format

Single Barrel

Batching

2020

First U.S. Release

Gold

Horse & Jockey

Blanton's Gold Edition is the 103-proof (51.5% ABV) Blanton's: the same Mash Bill #2 recipe as the 93-proof Original, bottled at a higher proof and one barrel at a time at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. Created for international markets, it was first offered in the United States in 2020, when Buffalo Trace planned a release here every year; the bottle offered here is the 750 mL American release.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

103 proof, 51.5% ABV — ten proof points above the Original.

The same recipe as the Original, in Buffalo Trace's words, with the proof raised.

Created for international markets, the second Blanton's after the Original.

First offered in the United States in 2020, with a release planned every year.

A gold-coloured horse and jockey tops the stopper.

Lettered in gold on the glass, the barrel record included.

Nº 02

Gold Edition & Its American Debut

International first, United States from 2020

Buffalo Trace says the Gold Edition was the second Blanton's created, after the 93-proof Original that Elmer T. Lee introduced in 1984, and that it was made for international markets. American buyers had to wait until 27 February 2020, when the distillery announced the first United States release for that summer and one release every year after. The announcement was plain about what Gold is — Blanton's Original's recipe at a higher proof — and noted that its horse and jockey is gold in colour. Six months later Straight From The Barrel followed it across.

Nº 03

Construction & Identification

What the bottle records

Strength

103 Proof From One Recipe

Buffalo Trace bottles Gold at 103 proof, 51.5% alcohol by volume, from the Mash Bill #2 recipe it uses for the Original; the bottle states that it was individually selected, filtered and bottled by hand at that strength.

Barrel Record

Written in Gold

On the American bottle in our photographs there is no paper body label: the text, barrel number, warehouse and rick number among it, appears in gold directly on the glass, under a gold neck band reading Blanton's Gold Edition.

Stopper

Gold Horse, Eight Letters

The Gold Edition's horse and jockey is gold in colour, and it belongs to the same set of eight stoppers as the rest of the line, one letter of B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S each.

Bottle

Dark Wax, Gold Carton

The same bottle is sealed with near-black wax under its stopper and sold in a gold carton.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distiller notes & position

Sensory Profile

Nose: Honey and heavy rye, then dried fruit, vanilla and chocolate.
Palate: Full and rich: apricot, butter and pepper over light honey and oak.
Finish: Long, toffee and apple turning to pecan and caramel — the tasting note Buffalo Trace issued with the 2020 American release.

Strategic Position

Gold sits between the 93-proof original bottling and the barrel-strength Straight From The Barrel bottling: a fixed strength, like the Original, but ten points higher. In Japan, Takara Shuzo imports the Gold Edition too — the maroon-waxed Gold Edition sold in Japan.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

American or Japanese?

Wax colour is the quickest check: this American bottle wears near-black wax over the stopper, while the Japanese-market Gold that Takara Shuzo imports is sealed in maroon. Bottles for Japan also carry Takara Shuzo's importer text in Japanese, as Japanese labelling law requires.

→

Annual, Not Constant

Buffalo Trace's 2020 plan was one American release a year, which makes Gold a yearly release in the United States rather than a constant shelf bottling. Each bottle's dump date records when its barrel was emptied.

Collector IndexMW VAULT

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Brand: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon
Proof / ABV: 103 / 51.5%
Batching: Single barrel
Recipe: Same as the Original
First U.S. release: 2020
Format: 750 mL

See the full Blanton's lineup we stock, the Japanese-market bottlings included.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Class	Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, single barrel
Proof	103
ABV	51.5%
Format	750 mL
Batching	Single barrel — one barrel per bottling
Mash bill	Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2
Recipe	The same recipe as Blanton's Original (Buffalo Trace, 2020)
Barrel record	Dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick number, lettered in gold on the glass
Label statement	Individually selected, filtered and bottled by hand at 103 proof
Stopper	Gold-coloured horse and jockey; one of eight lettered stoppers
Wax	Near-black (the American bottle photographed)
U.S. release	Announced for 2020, then once a year (Buffalo Trace, 27 Feb 2020)
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

The Gold Edition is Blanton's Original's Mash Bill #2 recipe bottled at 103 proof. Like the Original it is bottled one barrel at a time, and its record — dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick — is lettered on the bottle. Buffalo Trace made it the second Blanton's, for international markets, and announced its first American release for the summer of 2020, planning one each year after.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Blanton's Gold differ from Blanton's Original?

Buffalo Trace makes Blanton's Gold Edition from the same recipe as Blanton's Original and bottles it at a higher proof: 103 proof, 51.5% ABV, against the Original's 93 proof. Both are single barrel bourbons carrying their barrel's record on the bottle, and the Gold Edition's horse-and-jockey stopper is gold in colour. Buffalo Trace describes the Gold Edition as the second Blanton's created, after the Original.

Is Blanton's Gold available in the U.S.?

Yes. Buffalo Trace created Blanton's Gold Edition for international markets and announced on 27 February 2020 that it would be sold in the United States for the first time, with a release that summer and one release every year after.

What proof is Blanton's Gold Edition?

Blanton's Gold Edition is bottled at 103 proof, or 51.5% alcohol by volume, on every bottle. That is ten proof points above Blanton's Original at 93 proof, while Blanton's Straight From The Barrel has no fixed proof at all.

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Blanton's

The Elemental Distinction

Gold Edition & Its American Debut