Blanton's Black and Takara Gold — Japan-Market Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 80 and 103 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Price

$489.95

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

Region: Kentucky | Proof: 80 and 103

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Bottles

80 / 103

Proof

40 / 51.5%

ABV

2 × 750 mL

Format

Japan

Market

Takara Shuzo

Importer

Two bottles, twenty-three proof points apart: Blanton's Black at 80 proof (40% ABV) and the Gold Edition collectors call Takara Gold at 103 proof (51.5% ABV), the lowest and the highest of the three Blanton's Takara Shuzo sells in Japan without a sales-route mark. Midnight Whiskey pairs one of each, 750 mL single barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, in their cartons.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Twenty-three proof points. 80 and 103: the lowest and the highest of the three Blanton's Takara lists without a sales-route mark, with the 46.5% Blanton's between them.

The Original's recipe at a greater proof, Buffalo Trace says. Buffalo Trace describes the Gold Edition as the second Blanton's created, after the Original, from the same recipe with the proof raised; Takara lists its Gold at 51.5%.

Black is Blanton's, made milder. Takara describes Black as Blanton's in taste and aroma, finished somewhat milder so that more people can enjoy it, and lists it at 40%.

Gold horse, maroon wax. The horse and jockey on the Gold Edition is gold in colour, Buffalo Trace says; on the bottle Takara imports it sits under maroon wax, beneath a neck label reading Blanton's Gold Edition.

Black on black. Black's label is black and lettered in gold, its wax is black, and its carton is black, with Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. on the back panel.

Nº 02

The Ends of Takara's Open Range

40% · 51.5%

Of the four Blanton's Takara Shuzo lists for Japan, three carry no sales-route mark: Black at 40%, Blanton's at 46.5% and Gold at 51.5%, each 750 mL in carton; the fourth, Straight From The Barrel at 66%, Takara marks for designated sales routes. This pair holds the first and third. Takara was selling Gold in Japan by April 2015, five years before Buffalo Trace announced it for the United States, on February 27, 2020, as a once-a-year release, calling it the second Blanton's created after Elmer T. Lee's 1984 Original and the same recipe at a greater proof. Blanton's own range page lists four bottlings and marks its 80-proof one, Special Reserve, as not available in the United States.

Nº 03

In the Set

Two bottles, two labels

80 proof · 40% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Black

Takara's ブラントンブラック. Black label lettered in gold, reading Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; the barrel record states individually selected, filtered and bottled by hand at 80 proof. Black wax over the stopper, and a black carton with Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. on its back panel.

103 proof · 51.5% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Takara Gold

Takara's ブラントンゴールド: the Gold Edition for Japan. Neck label Blanton's Gold Edition, as on the American bottle; maroon wax over a gold horse and jockey; a gold carton. The collectors' name is printed nowhere.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distiller notes & position

Sensory Profile

Two notes from Takara Shuzo's lineup page. Black: cedar on the nose, vanilla on the palate — faint florals, cedar and raisin folded into soft vanilla, a light, airy entry, then vanilla and toffee with dried fruit and white pepper at the edges. Gold: rye and tobacco on the nose, oak and honey on the palate — spicy rye and tobacco first, caramel and honey with dark fruit and citrus behind, and a long finish of charred oak and vanilla, the same profile Blanton's publishes for the Gold Edition. Takara's two shorthands share nothing: cedar and vanilla against rye, tobacco, oak and honey.

Strategic Position

Each bottle is also listed on its own, as Blanton's Black at 80 proof, sold alone and as the Japanese Gold Edition at 103 proof; with Takara Red between them the pair becomes the Export Trio, and with Takara Red in place of Black it is the Takara Red and Takara Gold pair. Buffalo Trace has sold the Gold Edition in the United States since 2020, under near-black wax; the maroon wax and the 80-proof companion are what mark this pair as Takara's — the Journal's tells for export Blanton's.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Takara sells Black and Gold separately; the pair is one bottle of each, assembled by Midnight Whiskey with both cartons.

→

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 · 103 proof
Market: Japan (Takara Shuzo)
Format: 2 × 750 mL
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Cartons: Black · gold
Set: Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Each is also sold on its own; see the Blanton's we sell by the bottle.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Contents	Blanton's Black (80 proof) · Blanton's Takara Gold (103 proof)
Bottles	2
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Class	Single barrel bourbon whiskey
Proof	80 and 103 Proof
ABV	40% and 51.5% ABV
Market	Japan; imported and sold by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Listed by Takara as	ブラントンブラック · ブラントンゴールド
Format	2 × 750 mL
Neck labels	Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー (Black) · Blanton's Gold Edition (Takara Gold)
Cartons	Black (Black) · gold (Takara Gold)
Wax	Black (Black) · maroon (Takara Gold)
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

One barrel fills each bottling, and each label carries that barrel's dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick by hand. Takara Shuzo lists Black at 40% and Gold at 51.5%, both 750 mL in carton; Buffalo Trace describes the Gold Edition as the Original's recipe bottled at a greater proof, and Takara describes Black as Blanton's in taste and aroma, finished somewhat milder.

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 Takara Gold?

Strength and dress. Blanton's Black is bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV) and Blanton's Takara Gold at 103 proof (51.5% ABV); Takara Shuzo imports and sells both in Japan as 750 mL single barrel bourbons from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Black wears a black label, black wax and a black carton, while Takara Gold carries a neck label that reads Blanton's Gold Edition, maroon wax over its stopper, and a gold carton.

Is the Gold in the Black and Takara Gold pair the Japanese Gold Edition?

Yes. The Gold in this pair is Blanton's Takara Gold, the Gold Edition Takara Shuzo sells in Japan at 51.5% ABV, 103 proof, in a gold carton with maroon wax over its gold horse and jockey. The Gold Edition Buffalo Trace sells in the United States wears near-black wax under the same neck label, Blanton's Gold Edition; the collectors' name Takara Gold is printed on neither bottle.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault 80 Proof to 103

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Blanton's Black and Takara Gold — Japan-Market Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 80 and 103 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Black and Takara Gold

The Elemental Distinction

The Ends of Takara's Open Range