It all started when Lee noticed that a bourbon distillery president would always take bourbon from barrels in the middle of the company's warehouse to serve to esteemed guests.

Realizing that the center barrels had higher quality bourbon, Lee went to the middle of the warehouse to bottle bourbon from only one barrel, which would soon be named Blanton's.

This unique approach to bottling garnered attention for the Blanton label on the bourbon market. Each bottle delivered special notes and nuances for practiced drinkers to savor.

Buffalo Trace's Blanton's went down in history as the first ever single-barrel bourbon, a premium category of bourbons that is wildly popular and sought-after today.

Today, many bourbon distilleries tout single-barrel production labels while bourbon enthusiasts scramble to buy them. The industry still carries the influence of Lee's innovation.