Single Barrel Bourbon started with Blanton's in 1984. Nearing retirement, Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee was tasked with creating a bourbon of exceptionally high quality. With careful reflection, he recalled the earlier days of his career in the late 1940s when he worked under Colonel Albert B. Blanton. Colonel Blanton was the president of the distillery until 1952 As a tribute to Colonel Blanton's old tradition, Elmer T. Lee decided to name this new bourbon "Blanton's Single Barrel".