How To Truly, Actually Buy Blanton's Bourbon This Fall - UPROXX

METHOD 1c — Online Retail

Then there’s online retail. This is a little dicier. Retailers like Drizly or Reserve Bar will get bottles in but they will only be available in certain regional markets. There’s no universal rule for buying/shipping booze in the U.S., so you’re at the whim of which state got what and their laws and which online retailer got their cut of that cut. So you may see a bottle of Blanton’s on Drizly for $89 but you’re in San Francisco, California, and that bottle is in Peoria, Illinois, and you’re out of luck. Naturally, sometimes the stars align with online retailers and you can score some serious bottles. You just have to set up alerts and check regularly in your zip code. To be frank, it’s likely easier just to go to your local (good) liquor store and get to know the staff.

PRO TIP:

Be warned. IRL retailers will mark up prices beyond the MSRP. Sometimes that markup might be $15, like in my local liquor store. Sometimes it might be a lot more. Know the MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) before you go into the shop or hit buy online.

Blanton’s Original is $65. Gold is $95. Straight From The Barrel is $110.

METHOD 2 — Visit The Distillery

Distillery bottle shops can be a gold mine. They can also be frustrating. The Gift Shop at Buffalo Trace is a great place to get rare bottles at true retail.

If you’re in making your pilgrimage to the Buffalo Trace promised land in Frankfort, Kentucky, you can grab one bottle from each brand at the Gift Shop every 90 days. After parking, there’s a tall red-brick building with a Buffalo on it. Before you walk in, there’ll be a sandwich board that’ll list the bottles currently being sold in the Gift Shop that day. Wheatly Vodka and Bourbon Creme are always on there. The top slot rotates daily. This can be Weller Special Reserve, Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, Eagle Rare 10, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and maybe a few other entry-level bottles (never, ever is it Pappy — don’t bother).

Whichever bottle is available that day will be at MSRP. That means you can get a Weller SR for $30 or a Blanton’s for $65. If you live in north-central Kentucky, it’s not that hard to keep your ear to the ground and hear through the grapevine what’s on the sandwich board every day. If you’re not in the area, you can also check the Buffalo Trace website to see what’s available in general at the Gift Shop. If you’re in town for one day as a tourist, you’re getting whatever is on that sandwich board that day.