(left) This commemorative Alabama Bicentennial Blanton’s single barrel bourbon with custom gift box was one of 18 sold today at the Cullman ABC Store. The special bourbon was only available in 10 stores across the state. (right) Two single barrels were chosen for the Blanton’s limited edition Bicentennial bottles. The Cullman ABC Store has one of the empty barrels and will be giving the barrel away to one lucky winner. No purchase is necessary. Just stop by and enter your name. The store expects to draw the winner late Friday. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)
CULLMAN, Ala. – A crowd gathered outside of the Cullman ABC Store early Thursday morning in hopes of grabbing one of only 18 special bottles of Blanton’s single barrel bourbon. Buffalo Trace Distillery and the Alabama ABC Board partnered for the special commemorative release of the highly sought-after bourbon in recognition of Alabama’s 2019 Bicentennial. The 18 bottles sold out in minutes.
Cullman’s was one of only 10 ABC Stores chosen to carry the collectors’ edition bottles, all in custom gift boxes depicting Alabama images including the state flag and the Saturn V rocket. The bottles are marked with the Alabama 200 Bicentennial sticker.
The 18 bottles of Blanton’s sold out in minutes, but the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery also released commemorative bottles of its Jefferson Reserve and those are still available. Special barrels of Buffalo Trace and Weller Antique 107 bourbons were selected for the commemorative Jefferson Reserve bottles.
Two single barrels were chosen for the Blanton’s limited edition Bicentennial bottles. The Cullman ABC Store has one of the empty barrels and will be giving the barrel away to one lucky winner. No purchase is necessary. Just stop by and enter your name. The store expects to draw the winner late Friday.
Betty Childers, manager of the Cullman ABC Store, explained the enthusiasm for Blanton’s, saying, “It’s hard to get Blanton’s anyway. Blanton’s has a problem producing enough and we have customers call all the time just for that, but then they came out with that, ahhh! They were lined up. I got a text at 7 this morning and they were lined up. We had people come from out of town. They are collectors and that’s what they do.”
“Just like Buffalo Trace Distillery, Alabamians take great pride in their rich history and heritage,” said Mac Gipson, the Alabama ABC Board administrator. “The 200th anniversary of our state’s founding is another wonderful opportunity for Buffalo Trace and the Alabama ABC Board to collaborate on this one-of-a-kind commemorative release. Alabamians who enjoy Blanton’s or any of the other Buffalo Trace offerings will want to add this special 200th Anniversary release to their collection.”
Introduced in 1984 as the world’s first single barrel bourbon, Blanton’s is aged in Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace Distillery where Colonel Albert B. Blanton used to handpick “honey barrels” when entertaining important guests. The unique sphere-shaped bottles are capped with characteristic horse and jockey bottle stoppers, each marked with a single letter that spells Blanton’s when aligned. When placed in order, the stoppers depict the different stages of Kentucky’s most famous horse race, the Derby, from beginning to end.
In addition to Cullman, the Bicentennial bourbon was sold in Auburn, Muscle Shoals, Hoover, Guntersville, Montgomery, Mobile, Dothan, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
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