There’s technically no law requiring bourbon to be manufactured in Kentucky, but the good folks at Blanton’s know that Kentucky is where bourbon must be made. The reasons for that are many — tradition, the natural water filtration of limestone rock, the huge temperature swings — and you can taste the spirit of Kentucky in every precious sip.

Blanton’s is famous for its Original Single Barrel Bourbon, which first came to be in 1984. It was the creation of the soon-to-retire master distiller Elmer T. Lee, who rocked the bourbon world by offering the first single barrel bottles. Lee trained under the legendary Colonel Blanton, who during the 1930s discovered that his newly erected metal Warehouse H (and its unexpectedly rapid temperature changes) were creating a lovely flavor in his bourbon. It was this very same warehouse where Blanton’s first created their famous Single Barrel Bourbon.

Today, Blanton’s remains the king of single barrel bourbon. As always, they create bourbon one barrel at a time, allowing the character of the charred oak to work its way into every sip. If that sounds meticulous, that’s because it very much is — but that’s why Blanton’s and the rest of Kentucky produce 95% of the world’s bourbon.