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

Price

$389.95

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

Region: Kentucky | Proof: 93 and 80

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Bottles

93 / 80

Proof

46.5 / 40%

ABV

2 × 750 mL

Format

Japan

Market

Takara Shuzo

Importer

Takara Red and Black is a two-bottle set of the Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbons at the lower end of Takara Shuzo's Japanese lineup: the bottle Takara lists simply as Blanton's, 93 proof and 46.5% ABV, which collectors call Takara Red, and Blanton's Black at 80 proof, 40% ABV. Both are 750 mL single barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, in their cartons; Midnight Whiskey assembles the pair.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Thirteen proof points apart. 93 against 80, the two lowest of Takara's four strengths; above them Takara lists Gold at 51.5% and Straight From The Barrel at 66%.

Milder by design, in Takara's words. Takara describes Black as Blanton's in taste and aroma, finished somewhat milder so that more people can enjoy it, and the 46.5% bottle simply as its Blanton's.

An 80-proof Blanton's, not an American one. Blanton's lists its own 80-proof bottling, Special Reserve, as not available in the United States; Black is the 80-proof bottling Takara sells in Japan.

Read the neck, then the wax. Both neck labels say Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー beneath; the black label and black wax mark Black, the gold-toned wax and maroon carton mark Takara Red.

Two records. Each label is written in by hand — dump date, barrel number, warehouse, rick — so the pair documents two barrels, not one bottling.

Nº 02

Takara's Two Entry Strengths

40% · 46.5%

Takara Shuzo, the importer and seller of Blanton's in Japan, has listed Blanton's at 46.5% in a 750 mL bottle with carton since at least its announcement of April 15, 2015, and still does in its announcement of June 19, 2026. Black, at 40%, sits on Takara's lineup page below it, catalogued as ブラントンブラック 750ML in carton and offered in Takara's own shop in a gift box. Takara's account of the brand reaches back to Buffalo Trace Distillery's Warehouse H and to Elmer T. Lee's 1984 single barrel; the two bottles here are that brand at the two lowest strengths Takara sells, 80 and 93 proof.

Nº 03

In the Set

Two bottles, two labels

93 proof · 46.5% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Takara Red

Takara's Blanton's, listed as ブラントン; the collectors' name comes from the importer and is printed nowhere on the bottle. Neck label: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon, ウイスキー beneath. Gold-toned wax. Maroon carton.

80 proof · 40% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Black

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

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distiller notes & position

Sensory Profile

Black, in Takara Shuzo's published note: cedar on the nose and vanilla on the palate, in Takara's shorthand — faint florals with cedar and raisin over soft vanilla, a light and airy entry, vanilla and toffee leading dried fruit and white pepper; descriptor for descriptor, the profile Blanton's prints for the 80-proof Special Reserve it sells outside the United States. Blanton's at 46.5%, in Takara's note: vanilla on the nose, citrus and oak on the palate, with caramel, butterscotch and clove, nutmeg or cinnamon in the vanilla — the Original's note, as Blanton's publishes it. Set side by side, the two notes share the vanilla and part at the cedar and the citrus.

Strategic Position

The pair takes the two lowest rungs of Takara's shelf, each also listed alone as the 46.5% bottling Takara lists as Blanton's and the 40% Black bottled for Japan; add Takara Gold and the pair becomes the three-bottle Export Trio. The Original, the Gold Edition and Straight From The Barrel are the three Blanton's sold in the United States, so this pair's tells are its dress, the black label and the maroon carton — how the export Blanton's differ from the American bottles.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Takara lists Black and its 46.5% Blanton's as separate products; Midnight Whiskey pairs one of each, each in the carton it was imported in.

→

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: 93 · 80 proof
Market: Japan (Takara Shuzo)
Format: 2 × 750 mL
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Cartons: Maroon · black
Set: Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Both bottles are sold singly too; see Blanton's, bottle by bottle, Japan and Kentucky.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Contents	Blanton's Takara Red (93 proof) · Blanton's Black (80 proof)
Bottles	2
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Class	Single barrel bourbon whiskey
Proof	93 and 80 Proof
ABV	46.5% and 40% ABV
Market	Japan; imported and sold by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Listed by Takara as	ブラントン · ブラントンブラック
Format	2 × 750 mL
Neck labels	Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー, on both
Cartons	Maroon (Takara Red) · black (Black)
Wax	Gold-toned (Takara Red) · black (Black)
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

Both bottles come from single barrels, each label naming its barrel by hand: dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick. Takara Shuzo describes Black as Blanton's in taste and aroma, finished somewhat milder, and states its strength at 40%; the 46.5% Blanton's it lists is the brand at the strength Blanton's prints on the Original.

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 proof are Blanton's Takara Red and Blanton's Black?

Blanton's Takara Red is bottled at 93 proof, 46.5% alcohol by volume, and Blanton's Black at 80 proof, 40% alcohol by volume. Both are 750 mL single barrel bourbons from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, and both are listed by their importer, Takara Shuzo, which sells them in Japan as Blanton's and Blanton's Black.

How does Blanton's Black compare with Blanton's Special Reserve?

They are two 80-proof (40% ABV) Blanton's listed by two companies for two markets: Blanton's Black is the name Takara Shuzo gives the 80-proof Blanton's it sells in Japan, and Blanton's Special Reserve is the 80-proof bottling that Blanton's own site lists for select international markets, not available in the United States. The tasting profile Takara publishes for Black matches the one Blanton's publishes for Special Reserve — a faintly floral nose with cedar and raisin over soft vanilla, then vanilla and toffee with dried fruit and white pepper.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault 93 Proof Beside 80

Curated For You

The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask 20 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2026 Release) The Macallan

$1,699.95

5 in stock

Michter's US★1 Barrel Strength Sour Mash Whiskey (2026 Limited Release) Michter's Distillery

$169.95

The Macallan TIME : SPACE Mastery 200 Year Anniversary Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky — 2024 Bicentenary Release The Macallan

$1,699.95

2 in stock

King of Kentucky 14 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — 2026 Release, Brown-Forman Brown-Forman Distillery

$1,599.95

1 in stock

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

Takara Red and Black

The Elemental Distinction

Takara's Two Entry Strengths