Blanton's Takara Red and Takara Gold — Japan-Market Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 93 and 103 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Price

$499.95

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

Region: Kentucky | Proof: 93 and 103

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Bottles

93 / 103

Proof

46.5 / 51.5%

ABV

2 × 750 mL

Format

Japan

Market

Takara Shuzo

Importer

Midnight Whiskey pairs the two Blanton's that collectors have named after their Japanese importer: the bottle Takara Shuzo lists as Blanton's, 93 proof (46.5% ABV), and its Blanton's Gold, 103 proof (51.5% ABV). Single barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, 750 mL each, in the maroon and gold cartons Takara sells them in.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Ten proof points apart. 93 and 103, as the labels print them; Takara lists the two at 46.5% and 51.5%, with Black below them at 40% and Straight From The Barrel above at 66%.

The names are the shelf's, not the label's. Takara lists the bottles as ブラントン and ブラントンゴールド; the neck labels read Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon and Blanton's Gold Edition, and Takara Red and Takara Gold are printed on neither.

Two neck labels. Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon over ウイスキー on Takara Red; Blanton's Gold Edition on Takara Gold — the quickest way to tell the pair apart at the neck.

Gold-toned wax, maroon wax. Takara Red's stopper sits in gold-toned wax; Takara Gold's gold horse and jockey sit under maroon, where the Gold Edition sold in the United States wears near-black.

Two cartons. Maroon for Takara Red, gold for Takara Gold, each marked 750 ML at the foot.

Nº 02

Two Bottlings, One Announcement

Takara Shuzo · April 15, 2015

Takara Shuzo's announcement of April 15, 2015 lists the two side by side: ブラントン at 46.5% and ブラントンゴールド at 51.5%, each 750 mL in a glass bottle with carton, imported and sold by Takara in Japan; its announcement of June 19, 2026 lists them the same way. Buffalo Trace, for its part, calls the Gold Edition the second Blanton's created after the 93-proof Original of 1984, made from the same recipe at a greater proof, and did not sell it in the United States until 2020. The 93-proof bottle Takara sells is the brand at the strength Blanton's prints on the Original; the neck labels tell the two apart, ウイスキー under Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon on one, The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey on the other.

Nº 03

In the Set

Two bottles, two labels

93 proof · 46.5% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Takara Red

ブラントン, Takara's 46.5% Blanton's, under the name collectors give it. Neck label Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー; gold-toned wax over the stopper; a maroon carton marked 750 ML.

103 proof · 51.5% ABV · 750 mL

Blanton's Takara Gold

ブラントンゴールド, the Gold Edition Takara imports. The neck label reads Blanton's Gold Edition, the American bottle's wording; maroon wax over a gold horse and jockey; a gold carton marked 750 ML.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distiller notes & position

Sensory Profile

Takara Shuzo's lineup gives each its note. Blanton's at 46.5%: vanilla on the nose and citrus and oak on the palate, the shorthand; in full, creamy vanilla with caramel and butterscotch and a line of baking spice — clove, nutmeg, cinnamon — the descriptors Blanton's also prints for its Original. Gold at 51.5%: rye and tobacco on the nose, oak and honey on the palate; spicy rye and tobacco opening, caramel and honey with dark fruit and citrus, then rye, tobacco and honey through a long finish of charred oak and vanilla, as Blanton's publishes for the Gold Edition. Vanilla, citrus and oak against rye, tobacco, oak and honey: the two shorthands share only the oak.

Strategic Position

The pair is the two bottlings collectors call by Takara's name, each also listed alone: the maroon-carton Blanton's at 93 proof and Takara Gold on its own, 103 proof. With Black added it is the Export Trio; with Black in place of Gold it is Takara Red beside Black, the 93 and 80 proof pair. The Gold Edition has been sold in the United States since 2020 and the 93-proof Original since 1984, so what this pair offers is the Japanese dress of both — what separates the Japanese Blanton's from the American.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

Assembled by Midnight Whiskey

Takara lists its Blanton's and its Gold as two products; Midnight Whiskey pairs one of each, cartons included.

→

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

Both are sold singly as well; see the whole Blanton's shelf, singles included.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Contents	Blanton's Takara Red (93 proof) · Blanton's Takara Gold (103 proof)
Bottles	2
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Class	Single barrel bourbon whiskey
Proof	93 and 103 Proof
ABV	46.5% and 51.5% ABV
Market	Japan; imported and sold by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Listed by Takara as	ブラントン · ブラントンゴールド
Format	2 × 750 mL
Neck labels	Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー (Takara Red) · Blanton's Gold Edition (Takara Gold)
Cartons	Maroon (Takara Red) · gold (Takara Gold), each marked 750 ML
Wax	Gold-toned (Takara Red) · 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

Each bottle is drawn from one barrel and names it by hand on the label: dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick. Takara Shuzo lists the pair at 46.5% and 51.5%, each 750 mL in carton; Buffalo Trace describes the Gold Edition as the Original's recipe bottled at a greater 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

Is Takara printed on a Blanton's Takara Red or Takara Gold label?

No. Takara Red and Takara Gold are collectors' names taken from Takara Shuzo, the company that imports and sells Blanton's in Japan, which lists the two bottlings simply as Blanton's (46.5%) and Blanton's Gold (51.5%). Neither name is printed on a label: Takara Red's neck label reads Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon with ウイスキー, the Japanese word for whisky, beneath it, and Takara Gold's neck label reads Blanton's Gold Edition, as the American Gold Edition's does.

What do Blanton's Takara Red and Takara Gold have in common?

Both are Blanton's single barrel bourbons from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, bottled at 750 mL, imported and sold in Japan by Takara Shuzo, and each label records its own barrel's dump date, barrel number, warehouse and rick. They differ by ten proof points — Takara Red is 93 proof, Takara Gold 103 — and by dress: a maroon carton and gold-toned wax for Takara Red, a gold carton and maroon wax for Takara Gold.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault 93 Proof and 103, Both for Japan

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Blanton's Takara Red and Takara Gold — Japan-Market Single Barrel Bourbon Pair, 93 and 103 Proof, 2 × 750 mL

Takara Red and Takara Gold

The Elemental Distinction

Two Bottlings, One Announcement