Blanton's Bourbon & Hillrock Solera Aged 2 Bottle Combo

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, makes some fine whiskey, but none is treasured drop-by-drop like Blanton's Bourbon. The name comes from Albert B. Blanton, who started work at the distillery in 1897 and worked in every department over the next half century.
 
In a special metal-clad aging barn, master distillers carefully select the best barrels of Bourbon exclusively for Blanton's. Why metal and not brick? The metal heats and cools quicker, allowing faster aging. Hot days and cool nights cause the whiskey barrels to expand and contract, creating a deep and complex product. While most of the barrels at Buffalo Trace are moved and poured by machine, those destined for a Blanton's label are strictly manipulated by hand.
 
Single barrel spirits come from (you guessed it) only one barrel, the best in the barn and often in the center. It is not diluted nor are any colors or flavors added. The flavor is big and unique. The proof varies from batch to batch. Blanton's Bourbon is typically around 93-proof, but gold label versions can be up to 103.
 
Wondering if it goes well with cola? A spirit like this stands alone. Take it neat or perhaps with a few cubes. For a minimalist Southern twist, try a simplified Mint Julep. Skip the sugar and soda. Just shake it with ice and a few fresh mint leaves. Strain it into a chilled cocktail glass.

Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon is the world's first solera aged bourbon. Solera aging is a process that has generally been reserved for aging cognacs, ports and sherries. It involves filling a series of casks at different intervals over a long period of time. As whiskey from the oldest cask is emptied and bottled, the cask is re-filled with an equivalent amount of whiskey from the second-oldest cask in the solera. This cascading effect continues until the youngest cask in the solera is filled with new whiskey. As a result, no cask in the solera is ever fully emptied. In addition, as the younger whiskey ages and cascades through the solera, its average age and complexity gradually increase over time.

Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon marries Hillrock Estate Bourbon with a mature seed bourbon that was carefully sourced by Pickerell. After cascading through the solera, Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon is finished in 20 year old Oloroso Sherry casks. The finishing process balances the spicy rye flavors of the bourbon and adds further complexity, with layers of fig, roasted walnuts and candied fruit. The current age of Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon is over six years and the rye content is approximately 37%.

Hillrock Bourbon was named one of the Top 50 Spirits of 2013 by Wine Enthusiast (it was ranked the #2 bourbon), which gave it a score of 96 points. It also earned the SiIlver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013!