9 Bourbons to Buy Instead of Blanton's
Stop Hunting Blanton's — Drink These Instead
Few bottles in the bourbon world have achieved the kind of mythological status that comes with a single-digit allocated release, and the hunt that follows can turn even the most patient enthusiast into a frustrated shelf-stalker. The problem isn't that the hype is entirely undeserved — it's that the obsession has created a blind spot, leading drinkers to overlook genuinely exceptional bourbons that are sitting right in front of them at honest prices. The American whiskey landscape has never been more diverse or more talented, with distilleries across Kentucky and beyond producing single barrels, cask-strength releases, and small-batch expressions that rival or outright beat the bottles people are overpaying for on the secondary market. Whether you're drawn to high-proof intensity, refined oak complexity, or that classic sweet-and-spice Kentucky profile, there's a bottle out there that doesn't require calling in favors with your local liquor store. The best move any bourbon drinker can make right now is to redirect that energy toward what's actually on the shelf — because the quality is there, and so is the value.
Four Roses Single Barrel: The Most Direct Like-for-Like Swap
Four Roses Single Barrel is consistently cited as the closest true equivalent to Blanton's, and the case is easy to make: both are single barrel bourbons, both are fruit-forward and floral, and both are built on high-rye mash bills at a similar MSRP of around $50. The standard single barrel expression uses Four Roses' OBSV recipe — a 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley mash bill paired with a yeast strain selected specifically for bold fruit character. The nose brings delicate vanilla, dried raisins, fresh flowers, and a rose-petal softness, while the palate opens into cherries, vanilla-coated peaches, and dark pecan, with a finish that runs noticeably longer than Blanton's — currants, cinnamon, ginger, and a bittersweet chocolate note. At 100 proof versus Blanton's 93, it carries a bit more weight and, by most accounts, more complexity at a lower price. Buy it now!
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel: Wild Turkey's High-Proof Standout
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is the peak expression in Wild Turkey's premium Russell's Reserve line, a brand named in honor of father-son master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell, whose combined tenure at the distillery exceeds 100 years. Bottled at 110 proof and non-chill filtered, it is matured exclusively in deeply charred No. 4 "alligator char" American white oak barrels handpicked by the distillers. The nose delivers a medley of caramel and orchard fruit, while the palate runs through butter toffee, savory citrus, rye spice, and a distinct candied red apple character that reviewers note is unusual in unfinished bourbon. For drinkers who love Blanton's but wish the glass had more body and punch, this is a natural next step — priced between $60 and $70 and widely available without the allocation madness. Buy it now!
E.H. Taylor Small Batch: Buffalo Trace DNA, Actually Available
E.H. Taylor Small Batch comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery itself, sharing the same house water, rickhouses, and part of the mash bill family as Blanton's — making it arguably the most authentic alternative on this list. It is bottled-in-bond at 100 proof, meaning it meets the standards of the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse under the legacy of Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr., the 19th-century distiller whose name it carries. The profile is richer and more forward than Blanton's, with butterscotch, caramel, and cherry up front, backed by a structured oak backbone that gives it considerably more depth than the MSRP of around $45 suggests. In markets where you can choose between E.H. Taylor and Blanton's at the same retail price, most experienced tasters rate Taylor as the better bottle by measurable criteria. Buy it now!
Elijah Craig Small Batch: Heaven Hill's Everyman Workhorse
Elijah Craig Small Batch is produced at Heaven Hill's Bernheim Distillery in Louisville using a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and is bottled at 94 proof — sitting within a single proof point of Blanton's 93. The brand takes its name from the Baptist preacher credited with pioneering the charred oak barrel process for bourbon in 1789, and the spirit still honours that legacy with a genuinely barrel-driven profile. On the nose and palate, expect sweet caramel and vanilla leading into cherry, citrus, licorice, oak, cinnamon, and clove, with a finish that delivers a balanced mix of honey, oak tannins, and mint. At around $30 and readily available nationwide, it punches well above its price bracket and provides an excellent entry point for anyone chasing Blanton's fruit-and-spice balance without the secondary market anxiety. Buy it now!
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked: The Shelf-Worthy Prestige Alternative
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked was something of an anomaly when it launched in 2012 — finishing bourbon in a second new oak barrel was practically unheard of at the time, and the technique has since become one of the distillery's signature moves. The base Woodford Reserve straight bourbon, distilled from a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, is first fully matured, then transferred into a second barrel that has been toasted for 40 minutes with just a 5-second char — the extended toasting breaks down wood sugars that interact deeply with the whiskey. Whisky Advocate awarded it 93 points, citing its profile of cherries, chocolate, wood spice, and toasted marshmallows. At 42.5% ABV and around $55, it is lighter than some alternatives here, but for Blanton's fans who appreciate the bottle presence and gift-worthy aesthetics as much as the liquid itself, Double Oaked delivers on both counts. Buy it now!
Evan Williams Single Barrel: The $30 Single Barrel That Outperforms
Evan Williams Single Barrel is one of the bourbon world's most quietly impressive value plays — a genuine single barrel release from Heaven Hill at around $30, carrying a vintage date that reflects the specific year each barrel was barreled. Like Blanton's, each bottle has its own individual character with a sense of variation between releases that keeps things interesting without becoming unpredictable. In the glass it is soft and approachable, delivering caramel and vanilla up front followed by light oak, a touch of citrus, nuttiness, and a gentle spice on the finish — similar gentle licorice, clove, apple, orange, and peach notes to Blanton's, though with more oak, wood spice, and a slightly nuttier edge. The vintage dating gives it a specificity and traceability that most bourbons twice its price cannot match, and at under $35, it is one of the most honest cases for ignoring the hype entirely. Buy it now!
Wild Turkey Rare Breed: Barrel Proof Power at an Honest Price
Wild Turkey Rare Breed is the distillery's standard barrel proof expression — a blend of 6- to 12-year-old Wild Turkey bourbons bottled without dilution at approximately 116 proof, making it one of the great overlooked values in American whiskey. Where Blanton's delivers a refined, approachable 93-proof pour, Rare Breed is the choice for drinkers who want that same classic bourbon DNA with significantly more richness and depth. The nose is quintessential Wild Turkey: caramel, vanilla, orange peel, and a spice rack of cinnamon and pepper, while the palate is full and warming with dark fruit, oak, and butterscotch. Priced around $40–$45 and widely available, it consistently outscores more expensive single barrel expressions in blind tastings, and it asks nothing of you except to add a few drops of water if the proof feels bold. Buy it now!
Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve: Independent MGP Done Right
Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve is bottled by Nashville-based Nelson's Green Brier Distillery and sources its bourbon from MGP of Indiana, drawing from a blend of 7- to 11-year-old high-rye barrels that delivers both age and overproof punch in a single package. The high-rye MGP mash bill gives it the same bold, peppery fruit-forward style that makes Blanton's so appealing, while the cask strength bottling ensures maximum flavor density that no dilution can replicate. The result is a full-flavored, layered dram with considerable barrel-derived depth, and at $60–$70 it represents outstanding value for the age and proof on offer — with Paste Magazine noting that for MGP-sourced bourbon, it simply cannot be beaten at this price. For enthusiasts who want to step outside the Kentucky distillery-owned model into the independent bottler world, this is a compelling and well-sourced starting point. Buy it now!
Wilderness Trail Single Barrel: Kentucky Craft With Serious Credentials
Wilderness Trail Distillery, founded in Danville, Kentucky in 2012, has built one of the most respected craft bourbon programs in the state by using a sweet mash fermentation process — unusual in bourbon production — and a high-rye mash bill that drives distinctive fruit character at a relatively young age. Their single barrel expressions are bottled in bond at 50% ABV, meeting federal standards for bottled-in-bond production without sacrificing character. Reviewers consistently note big, bold sweetness backed by ripe stone fruit, caramel, malted grain, vanilla, and baking spice, with a surprisingly long finish of honey, citrus, toasted oak, and licorice that punches well above the bourbon's typical age band. Priced around $60–$70 and increasingly available through independent retailers, Wilderness Trail represents exactly what the craft tier should look like: a distillery with a clear house style, genuine production integrity, and bourbon that rewards the glass rather than the label.
More Galleries