An American Whiskey in Paris: Blanton's Paris by Day and Night

A few weeks ago I wrote about the best things I ate in Paris.  I didn't drink any whiskey in Paris because...wine, but that doesn't mean I didn't do some shopping.

La Maison du Whisky is one of the best whiskey shops in the world.  They have two shops in Paris, the main shop on Rue d'Anjou which is entirely whiskey and the Odeon shop, a three story shop which includes other spirits and hosts tastings.  Even if you are looking only for whiskey, I would recommend checking both shops as I found bottles at the Odeon shop that were not available at the main shop.

Taken in by the selection.

Single malts are the focus of LMDW, and what a collection they have. Along with Scotch, there is a large selection of Japanese single malts, including many from the shuttered Kaurizawa distillery, though they are very expensive.

There are deals to be had at LMDW though, particularly for some of their exclusive bottlings which can only be purchased there (and they don't ship to the US or Canada).  They aren't cheap, but not all of them are super expensive.  I saw reasonably priced exclusive bottlings of Glendronach, Kavalan and many others.

And then there's the bourbon.  Normally, there would not be much reason to shop for bourbon overseas, but there is one big exception:  Blanton's.  Made by Buffalo Trace but owned by Age International, Blanton's only has one release available in the U.S., but they have more expressions in Europe and Japan, including the cask strength Blanton's Straight from the Barrel I reviewed last year.  In addition, LMDW is a major distributor for Blanton's in Europe, so they often have specialty bottlings.

During my visit, they had two LMDW exclusive Blanton's on the shelf:  the 100 proof Paris by Day and the 120 proof Paris by night.  Despite the proof difference, both are 67 euro (approximately $90).

Blanton's Paris by Day, Barrel 21, Warehouse H, Rick 51, 50% abv

The nose is really nice with some sweet caramel and some nice rye spice.  The palate is rich and spicy with brown sugar and clove.  The spice keeps growing to dominate the finish.  This really nice stuff, complex but drinkable and a big step up from our standard domestic Blanton's.  

Blanton's Paris by Night, Barrel 54, warehouse H, Rick 90, 60% abv

The nose is sweet and chocolaty with some maple syrup and light anise notes.  The palate is rich with dark chocolate, polished wood and a slight medicinal note.  The finish a slightly bitter oak note.  A bit of water brings out some sweetness and medicinal notes. It's good, but for a high proof Blanton's, I prefer the Straight from the Barrel.

These are both very good bourbons, but the Paris by Day comes out on top.  It comes together very well, complex and balanced. Then again, I've never been much of a night owl.

If you visit Paris and you love whiskey, La Maison du Whisky should be on your list right between the Eiffel Tower and Louvre.

Viva la France!

Stuff We Don't Get: Blanton's Straight from the Barrel

Blanton's is known as the first single barrel bourbon (whether it actually was or not is the subject of some dispute). Distilled by Buffalo Trace for a Japanese company, Age International, Blanton's uses a higher rye mashbill than the other Buffalo Trace bourbons. The same mashbill is used for Elmer T. Lee, Ancient Age and Rockhill Farms bourbons, all of which are owned by Age. While Buffalo Trace makes barrel strength versions of its rye bourbon (George T. Stagg), wheated bourbon (William Larue Weller) and straight rye (Thomas Handy), Age International doesn't release a barrel strength version of its higher-rye bourbon mashbill...in the United States.

Blanton's Straight from the Barrel is a barrel strength version of Blanton's available in Europe and Japan. Like the regular version, it's a single barrel bourbon, so the proof varies, and it carries no age statement. It seems to go for around $90 in Europe, but that, of course, depends on the exchange rates.

Normally, I wouldn't review a whiskey that was not available in the US, but I thought this one would be interesting since there is no other way to sample a barrel strength version of this mashbill. In addition, there has been some rumor that Age might release this (or one of the number of other Blanton's expressions that are sold only overseas) in the US. I wanted to see if it was something we should be advocating for.


Blanton's Straight from the Barrel, Barrel 195, Warehouse H, Rick 18, 68.3% abv

The nose on this is fantastic and complex. It's starts off with sweet caramel and then transitions quickly to spicy rye and wood polish notes. There's also some fruit on the nose; I'm getting candied apples (the sticky red ones you get at the fair). The palate socks you with rye right off the bat and then treats you to sweet wood. Water, of course, is pretty essential for something this proof, and in this one, brings out the sweet candy but also enhances the rye, giving it a peppery like quality that lasts into the finish.

This is really great stuff, a bourbon you can sit and contemplate, with notes that continue to grow and evolve as you drink it. The folks at Age International definitely need to let us in on some of it.