Per Freddie Noe: The first release of Little Book draws inspiration from something close to home for me—the components of making a great bourbon whiskey. Little Book “The Easy” features uncut, unfiltered Kentucky Straight Bourbon blended with corn whiskey, rye whiskey, and malt whiskey- the three ingredients commonly found in a bourbon mash bill—to create an easy-drinking whiskey that's blended to be one of a kind. It all started when I was working in our Global Innovation Center, learning all about blending. I looked at the different types of whiskies available and saw that we had individual corn, rye and malt barrels. I wondered, “If you blend those together to the exact proportions of a bourbon mash bill, will it taste like bourbon?” So I tried it. I blended 4-year-old corn, rye, and malt whiskey, and let me tell you, it didn't taste like bourbon at all! The corn whiskey overpowered everything else, since the rye whiskey also had some corn in it. It wasn't balanced at all. That's when I was inspired to blend in the fourth component—some actual finished bourbon whiskey. When I started my search, our team gave me access to nearly every barrel we had in storage. I tasted and tinkered with bourbon aged six and even nine years, trying to achieve just what I was looking for in my inaugural release. What I found was that blending in four-year-old bourbon did what those others could not—ensured that all ingredients could complement each other without a single piece overpowering the final taste profile.

At 80 proof Blanton's Special Reserve is ideal for those new to single barrel bourbons. It has a slightly floral nose that conveys whispers of cedar and raisin in between soft vanilla notes. The palate has a light airy feel to it. The taste of vanilla and toffee dance around subtle notes of dried fruit and white pepper. Its smooth consistency makes it perfect for a premium cocktail or served on the rocks. Bottled at 40% alcohol by volume.