In the winter of 1881, Albert Bacon Blanton was born into one of Kentucky’s founding bourbon families. At just sixteen, he began working at the distillery as an office boy and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a visionary leader and pioneer of the bourbon industry. When he took over as company president in 1921, he oversaw a dramatic expansion—from 44 to 144 buildings—transforming the distillery into the largest of its time.
 
During his tenure, Colonel Blanton developed a private reserve of bourbon, hand-selected and aged in what would become the legendary Warehouse H. These exclusive barrels were set aside for dignitaries, family, and close friends.
Though Colonel Blanton passed in 1959, his influence endured. In 1984, Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee honored his legacy by releasing Blanton’s, the world’s first commercially available Single Barrel Bourbon. A revolutionary idea at the time, this bourbon set the standard for premium whiskey and established a category all its own.
 
Today, Blanton’s remains a symbol of tradition, craftsmanship, and excellence—the original Single Barrel Bourbon that changed the game.