Blanton’s Single Barrel Vs Hancock’s President’s Reserve

This is a very nerdy comparison. These are both single barrel, very similar proofs, similar MSRP, and from what I understand, both from the same higher-rye mashbill #2 at Buffalo Trace. The only difference is what rickhouse these were aged in.

Blanton’s) The nose starts with very classic bourbon vanilla, caramel, and oak. The palate opens with an slight initial tartness that quickly turns into charred oak, orange, caramel, and vanilla, with a little sweetness. The medium finish is a little more spicy, along with vanilla and leather.

Hancock’s) This nose is immediately more fruity, with tropical notes, along with caramel and tobacco. The palate has less burn, and again the dominate flavors are tropical mango, caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak. The medium long finish has slightly more rye spice and alcohol burn, along with oak, and some dark cherry.

Verdict) these are both great bottles. The Blanton’s is a must-have bottle on your shelf, but I also really like the design of the Hancock’s bottle. Unfortunately these have both gotten harder to find, and often have the prices jacked up. However, to my palate, I would search for MSRP Hancock’s over Blanton’s all day long. I prefer more unique flavors, and the tropical fruitiness of Hancock’s is the winner for me! It’s crazy that these both came from the same recipe and is a testament to what a huge role aging plays!