Blanton's Black and Original — Japan-Market and American Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 80 and 93 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Price

$289.95

✔ Sourced as an authentic, sealed product
✔ Inspected before it ships
✔ Packed with padded, glass-rated handling

Region: Kentucky | Proof: 80 and 93

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Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Ships to 40 states and D.C. Check yours

We do not ship to Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, or Wisconsin. We also do not ship to U.S. territories or APO/FPO/DPO addresses.

An adult 21+ must sign at delivery. Photo ID checked at the door. No PO boxes.

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Bottles

Proof, Black

Proof, Original

40%

ABV, Black

46.5%

ABV, Original

2 × 750 mL

Format

At 80 proof (40% ABV), Blanton's Black is the lowest strength on Takara Shuzo's Blanton's lineup for Japan; at 93 proof (46.5%), Blanton's Original Single Barrel is the first Blanton's, created in 1984. This pair puts the two together: 750 mL single barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, thirteen proof points apart, assembled by Midnight Whiskey.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Thirteen points apart. Black at 80 proof, 40% ABV; the Original at 93 proof, 46.5%.

Takara's lowest strength. Takara Shuzo lists four Blanton's — 40%, 46.5%, 51.5% and 66% — and Black is the 40%.

Milder, in Takara's words. Takara writes that Black keeps Blanton's production method and is finished a little milder in the mouth.

The 1984 bottling. Buffalo Trace credits Elmer T. Lee with creating Blanton's in 1984, and Blanton's dates the Original to that year.

Gold on black. Black's label is black, printed in gold; in this pair both stoppers sit in black wax.

Two neck labels. Black's reads Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon above ウイスキー; the Original's, The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey.

Nº 02

Takara's List and Warehouse H

1984 · Takara Shuzo · ブラントンブラック

Takara Shuzo imports Blanton's into Japan, and its list there runs from Black at 40% to a 66% Straight From The Barrel kept to designated sales routes. The note Takara publishes for Black matches, descriptor for descriptor, the one Blanton's prints for its Special Reserve. The Original is where the brand started, in 1984: drawn from the center cut of Warehouse H, the bottling Buffalo Trace credits to Elmer T. Lee.

Nº 03

In the Set

Two bottles, two strengths

80 proof · 40% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Black

ブラントンブラック in Takara Shuzo's range. A black label printed in gold — Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, individually selected, filtered and bottled by hand at 80 proof — black wax, and Takara's black gift box.

93 proof · 46.5% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Original Single Barrel

The bottling Blanton's dates to 1984, its class line Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and its barrels the center cut of Warehouse H; on the neck, The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Published notes & position

Sensory Profile

Takara Shuzo and Blanton's publish one note each, and the two start from different places. Takara gives Black a faintly floral nose with cedar and raisin around soft vanilla, then a light, airy palate on which vanilla and toffee lead and dried fruit and white pepper follow; its shorthand is cedar for the nose and vanilla for the palate. Blanton's, for the Original, writes of creamy vanilla on the nose with caramel, butterscotch and spice beneath, and of a sweet palate carrying citrus and oak. Thirteen proof points apart on the label, the two notes overlap on vanilla alone.

Strategic Position

Together the two bottles mark the low end of Takara's lineup and the brand's starting point: Black at 40%, gift-boxed for Japan, and Blanton's 1984 bottling, the Original. For the same Original against a Japanese bottle of equal strength, see Takara Red and the Original at equal strength; the Journal on Blanton's market-by-market range covers why Blanton's sells different bottlings in different markets.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Black is sold in Japan in Takara Shuzo's gift box and the Original as a bottle of its own; Midnight Whiskey has put one of each into this set.

→

Before It Ships

Every bottle is inspected before it ships: closure and seal, fill level, label and strip, production codes, provenance record. Bottles are double-boxed with protective padding, and ship in original packaging where the release includes it. An adult 21 or older with government-issued photo ID signs for every delivery. Signature gift wrapping and a personal note are available at checkout.

Collector IndexMW VAULT

Bottles: 2
Strengths: 80 · 93 proof
ABV: 40% · 46.5%
Markets: Japan · United States
Format: 2 × 750 mL
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Set: Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Each bottle is listed on its own as well, in every Blanton's bottling we list, Black included.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Contents	Blanton's Black (80 proof) · Blanton's Original Single Barrel (93 proof)
Bottles	2
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Class	Single barrel bourbon whiskey; both labels read Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Proof	80 and 93 Proof
ABV	40% and 46.5% ABV
Markets	Japan (Black; imported and sold by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd.) · United States (Original)
Listed by Takara as	ブラントンブラック
Label (Black)	Black, printed in gold
Neck labels	Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon, with ウイスキー (Black) · The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey (Original)
Wax	Black (both)
Gift box	Black, marked 750 ML (Black)
Warehouse	Warehouse H, center cut (Original)
Format	2 × 750 mL
Barrel record	Dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick on each label
Set	Assembled by Midnight Whiskey
Region	Kentucky

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Black and the Original are each drawn from a single barrel, and each label carries that barrel's record by hand: dump date, barrel number, warehouse, rick. Black's label states that it was individually selected, filtered and bottled by hand at 80 proof; Takara Shuzo, which imports it, describes Black as Blanton's production method with a milder mouthfeel. The Original's barrels come from the middle of Warehouse H, and it is bottled at 93 proof.

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

What is the difference between Blanton's Black and Blanton's Original?

Strength first: Blanton's Black is bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV) and Blanton's Original Single Barrel at 93 proof (46.5% ABV), two single barrel bourbons in 750 mL bottles, both made at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Blanton's Black is the bottling Takara Shuzo sells in Japan, with a black label printed in gold and a black gift box; Blanton's Original is the bottling Blanton's dates to 1984, drawn from the center cut of Warehouse H.

How do Blanton's Black and Blanton's Original taste?

Takara Shuzo describes Blanton's Black with a faintly floral nose of cedar, raisin and soft vanilla, a light, airy palate, and vanilla and toffee with dried fruit and white pepper. Blanton's describes the nose of Blanton's Original Single Barrel as creamy vanilla with caramel, butterscotch and baking spices such as clove, nutmeg or cinnamon, and its taste as sweet, with citrus and oak.

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Blanton's Black and Original — Japan-Market and American Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 80 and 93 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Black & the Original

The Elemental Distinction

Takara's List and Warehouse H