Warehouse H Book review and watches of the author, Dominic Guglielmi
Blanton’s……No word stirs up more emotion in the bourbon world than this man’s name. In his recent book, Warehouse H, Dominic Guglielmi settles the debate for good.
“I don't pretend Blanton's is the best whiskey of all time. Taste is subjective, of course, but I agree there are numerous other brands which, especially when the price is considered, could be regarded as "better." That said, Blanton's is pretty damn good.”
Couldn’t agree more I have never shared a glass of Blanton’s with anyone and not enjoyed it.
I first became aware of Dominic and his passion for Blanton’s while perusing the site Gear Patrol many years ago. Under their “Today in Gear” section, they had a blurb about his website, warehouseh.com. When I clicked that link I was blown away at the collection, and his incredible details about the bottles in his collection. I thought I had a nice collection with regular Blanton’s, Gold Edition, SFTB, Red Edition and Green, but the site showed me that I had some more collecting to do!
Dominic Guglielmi has put his passion for collecting Blanton’s into a new book, Warehouse H, which is a must have. This book is a cataloging of pretty much everything Blanton’s you would ever need to know. The Blanton’s info, however is bookended by history lessons of the beginning of the industry, as well as delving into the modern issues of shortages and supply and demand issues plaguing the hobby.
This is a great book for people that have been in the hobby for a while, it is also great for people looking to expand their knowledge, not just on Blanton’s , but in the entire industry all together.
Various pictures and notes in this book make it a perfect mix of a coffee table book and history book at the same time. The details and stories behind the bottles are incredible.
My favorite parts of the book are the discussion of oddities, one offs and rarity factor. I’m really glad that Dominic didn’t put prices or values on them, since things like that can change so much. There is even a cool section on merchandise which has pics of some Blanton’s items, including our favorite, WATCHES!
We feel so lucky that the man that has the greatest Blanton’s collection in the world, also has a little bit of a connection to our other love, watches. Dominic has been kind enough to share some great details about his collection, but also an incredible watch he has as well.
We hope you enjoy our interview!
Whiskey and Watches:
First off, congrats on your book. It is truly incredible what you have done to intertwine not only the story of Blanton's, but also an exhaustive collector guide to their bottles. Tell us a little about how you got into collecting Blanton's bottles.
Dominic Guglielmi:
Thank you for the kind words. My journey into collecting Blanton’s started around 2017 when I was gifted my first bottle of Blanton’s. I was never into bourbon, although I was starting to pick up on the “buzz” surrounding whiskey, and bourbon in particular. By that point it had already exploded in popularity and was seemingly everywhere. Once I finished my bottle, I simply wanted more. I soon realized it wasn’t possible (for the most part) to just walk into a local liquor store and find it at a reasonable price, so I turned to the internet. It was there I got sucked into the hype surrounding the brand. As I began to understand the popularity and relative scarcity of Blanton’s, it just made me want it more. I quickly discovered there are 7 varieties of Blanton’s produced, with many of them headed to overseas markets including Japan. I was traveling to Japan frequently for business at that time and had a trip coming up. The hunt was on. Sure enough, I was able to find all varieties of Blanton’s in Japan and thought I was done with my collection. I sure was wrong!
Beyond the 7 “common” varieties, my internet searches also found many highly ornate and beautifully labeled Blanton’s bottles. I quickly discovered many of these were one-off special releases bottled for various events, liquor stores, and sometimes private companies. I was hooked…and the Blanton’s collecting bug had bit me. In early 2000 I launched Warehouseh.com. My goal was simply to catalog all known varieties of Blanton’s. I never thought I’d own them all. My collecting journey picked up significantly during the early days of COVID and over the next few years I was able to assemble the largest and most complete collection of rare Blanton’s bottles.
Along the way I learned quite a bit about the brand, and in 2021 I began work on my book Warehouse H: The Story of Blanton’s Bourbon. America’s Most Influential Whiskey. It was published late last year and has been very well received. Buffalo Trace even carries it in their gift shop and many of the tour guides have read the book and told me they incorporated some of what they learned into their tours!
Whiskey and Watches:
Most collectors have it in their blood. Is there anything you can remember collecting as a kid?
Dominic Guglielmi:
To be honest, no, I’ve never been much of a collector. I never had any epic collection of baseball cards, Nintendo games, or Matchbox cars. I think for me, it might be undiagnosed OCD which in this instance manifested into obsessive collecting! Generally, I get amped up on an idea every now and then and go all in. I usually then move on to something else. So far though I have stuck with this hobby!
Whiskey and Watches:
I have got an Error Blantons Bottle. Where they were supposed to write Warehouse H, they accidentally wrote "26" and it is from rick "26". Do you have any quirky, or error bottles in your collection?
Dominic Guglielmi:
I’ve seen several of these along with some that have slipped through with no writing at all. Up until a few years ago, all labels were written by hand whereas now they are printed with a font that mimics handwriting. Human error was bound to occur and certainly did on occasion. They are cool novelty items for sure. I have not spent much time trying to acquire these errors, but I have focused on other oddities. For example, in the early 1990s, there was an oddball 92-proof Blanton’s released alongside the standard 93-proof. I have identified multiple dates spanning 2 or 3 years. All known examples have come from Japan so it’s possible they were only distributed to that market. The bottle label clearly shows 92-proof written as well as the printed 46% ABV. Nobody, including Buffalo Trace, knows why these were produced. Back then they had a glut of bourbon and couldn’t sell it fast enough. There would have been no reason to “stretch” the product by diluting it further.
Whiskey and Watches:
your collection seems to be pretty complete. Is there any bottle that you are trying to acquire that you can’t seem to find?
Dominic Guglielmi:
I have the most complete collection of rare Blanton’s bottles known, but there is one bottle I’m missing. It’s the 2012 La Maison du Whisky edition. La Maison du Whisky is a Paris-based alcohol importer and chain of stores that receives their own custom Blanton’s editions every year. There are usually around 6 barrels-worth bottled annually, although earlier editions only had only 2-3. Their relative low production numbers, and beautiful labels make them highly desired by collectors. More importantly, they are hand-picked and are almost always exceptional to drink. To be honest they taste nowhere near the profile of a “regular” Blanton’s, and even those who dislike Blanton’s will tell you they are delicious. It’s generally easy to find the recent editions, although they are pricy. Older varieties from the early 2000s are some of the highest valued Blanton’s and are extremely difficult to track down. The 2012 edition is the unicorn of unicorns for Blanton’s. None have ever been found. The only proof of it we have that the bottle existed is a photo from the 2013 La Maison du Whisky catalog and an archive of their website. I did reach out to La Maison du Whisky about this bottle, and I also visited their stores in Paris. They confirmed to me it was real, but shared no further information other than granting me permission to reprint the photo in my book. My hunch is that there might have only been one barrel that was bottled that year, yielding fewer than 250 bottles. The label was rather unremarkable, especially compared to other LMDW special editions. It’s possible most were simply consumed. As I mention in my book, I bet there’s one sitting on some guy’s shelf in France who has no idea how much it would be worth to someone like me. I’d mortgage the house!
Whiskey and Watches:
looks like you have a few Blanton’s time pieces. Tell us a little about them.
Dominic Guglielmi:
I do! I’m a sucker for vintage Blanton’s merchandise, which is mostly found in Japan. While collecting merch, I have obtained a few time pieces. The gem of my Blanton’s watch collection is probably the wristwatch. I have only seen 2 or 3 over the years. I paid way too much for it. It’s not Swiss quality, more like Cracker Jack. It did come in a fancy little box though. I also have a Blanton’s pocket watch of slightly higher quality but it’s clear it was still a give-away promotional item. One of the more unique watches is one that was bundled with a bottle. It’s a digital watch with a hologram background attached to a keychain. It was bundled with a bottle of Blanton’s and a sticker was affixed to the box stating it was the “Watch Edition”. Finally, I have a small clock which slides out of a nifty leather case.
A sampling of Dominic's Blanton's timepieces.
Pretty unique little watch here. Looks like it even has a rotating bezel
Eat your heart out Hodinkee travel alarm clock.
Whiskey and Watches:
tell us about your Rolex. When you got it, why, where etc.
Dominic Guglielmi:
I have a Rolex Daytona 116520 black dial. I’ve had it since around 2012. I wanted a Rolex since I was a teenager. I found it on RolexForums and met up with the seller to have it authenticated by a Rolex dealer before closing the deal. I’m certainly glad I purchased it when I did. While the value has come down a bit since the Covid crazy days, it was still a great investment. I chose the Daytona because of the classic chronograph look. While I like other Rolex models, the Daytona just checked all the boxes for my own taste. My watch was originally sold through a dealer in Bogota, Colombia. The condition was near mint as the previous owner said he only wore it on special occasions and had only purchased it a year or two earlier. I wore it daily for a few years, and it has some small signs of normal wear now. It’s still in excellent condition overall and I’ll never polish it of course! I don’t wear it as much anymore since my Apple watch is just too darn functional. It still comes out of the safe for special events though.
Whiskey and Watches:
were there any other watches you were considering when you got your Rolex Daytona?
Dominic Guglielmi:
Not many…at least in my price range at that time. The more I learned about the Daytona and the heritage of the watch, I knew I wanted one. The hardest part was deciding if I wanted a white or black dial. I’m happy with the black dial I picked, but I’d like to have both!
Whiskey and Watches:
is this your “grail” watch, or are there any others that you have your eye on?
Dominic Guglielmi:
I love the other Daytona editions. The Platinum andEverose are two of my favorites. I have not kept up with the different editions they have offered but almost any of the “more expensive” Daytona models look good to me! If I win the lottery, I’d get an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Again, there are so many options to choose from but some of their chronograph models really appeal to me. I’m a sucker for chronographs it seems, even though I’ve never once used the feature.
Whiskey and Watches:
What do you think bourbon collectors and watch collectors have in common?
Dominic Guglielmi:
Small bank accounts! Ha ha. In all seriousness for me it’s owning something that is a product of exceptional quality, craftmanship, and legacy. Both are a form of art.
We are so thankful for Dominic’s passion for Blanton’s, and willingness to share his passion with others. Please visit his site warehouseh.com and pick up a copy of his book! Check out this video on his collection as well.
Cheers!
