Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How to get a bottle of Blanton’s

If you go to the Buffalo Trace gift shop on just about any Tuesday morning, there is a good change you could buy a bottle. I don't particularly like Blanton's so for me, it is not worth the hour and half drive on a work day.

When the local liquor stores do their releases as a first-come-first-serve, I get up at 5 and get in line. I am not getting up that early for a Blanton, but will do it for a Weller 12 or other better bourbons. Right now, I am waiting on Col Taylors 18 year wedding batch.

Now, I do enjoy some of the other Buffalo trace products, but I can get them locally. Just opened up a Weller Full Proof the other night for some friends and found that most enjoyable.

If you can find Hancock reserve, it is very close to Blanton's, actually the same mash bill, just aged a little differently. Ancient Age is also the same mash bill, but is aged much less. Of course, your not getting the fancy bottle.

BTW, you can buy just the bottle stoppers with the horse and rider from their gift shop or online. That's how I get the stoppers for the Blanton displays I make.

Learn when the store gets their monthly allocated delivery, and try to get there in time to get some. I haven't scored a bottle of Blanton's in 6 months....and I frequent 3 stores here. I have learned the approximate delivery week every month and usually go by every Thursday after I have a lunch date with my wife.

Last bottle I scored, I saw the regional manager for the three stores, who also happened to be in my same class in high school, and he told me there was a bottle of Blanton's at another store. I drove over there immediately after, walked in, asked for it, and got it. It was held back in the office and not on the shelf.

Mostly just luck and frequenting the stores and ASKING for what you're looking for when they ask you.

Get to know people at your local store, probably not Lukas. Ask them how they distribute the bottles they get. If it sounds fair, then buy all of your wine, beer, etc. there and let them know you are a loyal customer.

Otherwise, you will be paying secondary market prices.

Nice collection. Like the Stagg Sr. Which Old Fitz do you have?

9 and 13 yr

You’re Killing me Smalls !!!

This is true in most cases. However, my experience has been that once you get to know them, they will divulge that they do have a list and they tell their suppliers that these products sell immediately so they can continue getting more. Meanwhile, they’ve stashed a bottle away for loyal customers, only bringing it out when the time comes to give it to the customer who leaves with it and no one is the wiser.

Most places won’t hold them for long, however. I got a call last Friday saying a bottle of Blanton’s was available for me at a store but if I didn’t get there within 24 hours, it was going to the next person on the list.

Got another bottle today and a bottle of Blanton’s Gold.

Ya’ll ain’t helping me...

Sweet at the next BHA rendezvous you and Land Tawney can sit around drink bourbon, discuss man buns and climate change..

Apparently the accumulation of a fairly discerning individual.

Two thumbs up.

👍👍

That stuff on the wall is just a showpiece. Look at what's open & being shared. Still some good ones, but an earthquake, fire, intruder, etc. and all the pretty stuff on the wall is gone. Pull the cork, enjoy it.

I guarantee you that any one of those bottles would be open in a heartbeat based on a guest's preference.

I was just at Lukas' around two today. You're right, no Blanton's. None at the local place either. Freaking $67 for a bottle of High West Rendezvous Rye.

Saw a bottle of Blanton’s single barrel at my local liquor store last night said they had just got in for someone. It was priced at $199.99. Is that the going price?

I get Blanton's at my local liquor store for $79.99 a bottle

The hype around bourbon is nuts and seems to get worse each year. I remember trying Blanton’s about 5 years ago at a wedding and really enjoying it. Went to my local liquor store when I got home and got darn near laughed at when I asked about it. I spent the following 3-4 years searching for Blanton’s and successfully put together a full set. Along the way, collected some other novelties like Pappy 15, Elmer T Lee, Stagg Jr. and such.

I found myself getting obsessed with showing up at the liquor store every Tuesday and Friday when they opened to see if they got anything allocated. I pretty much quite trying to find Blanton’s last year. If I find myself in a liquor store and something rare is there and not overpriced, sure, I’ll buy it, but I’m not going to waste anymore time chasing allocations.

What I do find sad is that now non allocated items are even being hyped. There are some online bourbon groups and you’ll see folks bragging on their find of Russell’s Reserve SiB Store Pick. I used to love that and now even that’s getting hard to find here.

Best way to find Blanton’s now a days is to fly somewhere international so you can buy it at duty free. Plenty of it at DFW. Fly to Japan as they get some versions we don’t get here like gold, black, and straight from the barrel.

Become friends with liquor store owners, bar owners. and workers. Be a good customer. Frequent 2/3 stores 1-2 times a week. Don’t just buy or ask for allocated bourbons. Then eventually you get in and they start selling you stuff they keep in the back.

Learn when they get delivery of allocated bourbons. Get there early that day.

Talk to friend who are traveling internationally. Have them snag some for you( I have gotten 8 bottles in the last 6 months that way )

If you just walk in and ask for allocated bourbon, they won’t bring a bottle out from the back. Why should they. They save it For customers who frequent them and keep them in business.

Also look on the bourbon secondary market local to you and never pay more than 100$ for Blantons on that,and only if your really in need/gotta have it.

It’s rare I pay more than 10-15$ over Msrp for anything

All timing. Need to be there shortly after delivery

Ones here only put 1 bottle on the shelf at a time. Ask at the counter for them to check in the back

We hit it right one Saturday, can only buy 1. So we hit another store down the road, bought another. At that store they take your ID and record name so you can't come back for 10 days. They said people left and came back over and over and would resell

This year things are going to be easier to find though from what I’m hearing( from a distributor rep). The big boys( sazerac ) are not happy with secondary market and plan on flooding the market with allocated bourbons to try and kill it. Since I enjoy drinking them and don’t
Typically sell them it’s a home run for me!!!