Elmer T. Lee Bourbon Review

Updated March 9, 2020

By Kurt Maitland

Average Rating: A-

As I sit here writing up this review of Elmer T. Lee, one of the excellent but lesser known bourbons from Buffalo Trace, I can’t help but think of a boxing term “punching above one’s weight” and I mean that in the best possible way.

Briefly, Buffalo Trace is the Kentucky distillery of bourbons such as Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace and my beloved Pappy Van Winkle. Its first formal distillery was constructed by Harrison Blanton in 1812. It has gone through several iterations and name changes (such as O.F.C. Distillery, George T. Stagg Distillery, etc.) and has been owned by the Sazerac Company since 1992.

As for Elmer T. Lee, there is the bourbon and the man.

Elmer T. Lee the man was the plant manager for George T. Stagg Distillery (what we currently know as Buffalo Trace) from 1969 to 1985. It was he who introduced the single barrel bourbon concept with the release of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. Mr. Lee is still an ambassador for Buffalo Trace and has been the recipient of Malt Advocate magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award as well as inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.

Now let’s get to his namesake bourbon.

The Bourbon
Elmer T. Lee comes in a bottle that looks like it came out of an episode of “Deadwood” or the movie “Tombstone”. It is square with rounded corners and slightly indented sides. The whiskey is bottled at 45% alcohol (90 proof).

This stuff has the classic, copper-colored bourbon look, with an aroma of brown sugar, dried fruits, apricot and molasses. In your mouth it is dry and crisp with hints of spiciness, coming off almost more like a wine than bourbon with a distinct light licorice and cinnamon taste. This dryness is particularly evident in the finish, which is reminiscent of the finish of Blanton’s (Elmer T. Lee’s bigger and pricier brother).

In my opinion, and this is where the boxing terminology comes in – Elmer T. Lee is as good as better known (and sometimes more expensive) small batch, premium bourbons. Its taste is more distinctive, it has a great pedigree (being a single barrel, like its label-mate Blanton’s), and even though there are bigger and more famous boys on the block, Elmer has the skills and talent to take them in a one-on-one match-up.  Try it and see.

Addendum By Randall H. Borkus

It’s a beautiful dark copper colored liquid in my glass with respectable legs clinging to the sides of my glass.  The nose is full of vanilla with hints of oak and leather and mild alcohol.  On my first sip, the flavor has an initial crispness of marzipan and vanilla with a full-bodied feel.  The mouth feel is delightfully warming, not over powering in the least bit, delicate and smooth with a bouquet of soft candy fruit sweetness, vanilla, fresh apricot and an inviting earthiness.   The finish is solid with warm hints of leather, oak and fresh earth.

Addendum by Douglas Fraser
Elmer T. Lee is a single barrel sour mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Bottled at 45% ABV, it doesn’t taste like it at all, more like 35%. The bourbon is very smooth with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Elmer T. Lee is incredibly warm and welcoming, that all whiskey lovers may enjoy.

Color: Bourbon Copper

On the nose are hints of caramel, maple, vanilla, brown sugar, oak, honey, leather and toffee. Tasted neat, more potent hints of caramel, vanilla, honey, oak, and cinnamon spice arise. The finish is medium to long in length, dry, with hints of leather, cinnamon spice, and oak.

The Price
This item should cost you $55, but the market value (what it costs to buy it from a genuine retailer on demand; we never acknowledge black market pricing here) is an average of $230. I’ve seen a few particularly nasty merchants listing it for as high as $330 a bottle.