Who was Elmer T Lee?
Elmer T Lee (ETL) is a bourbon legend was involved in the industry from the mid-1940’s until his death in 2013. In 1941 Elmer volunteered and served in WW2 for four years as a radar bombardier, spending time in Guam. After the war Elmer found his was to the George T Stagg distillery in Frankfort, KY where he was looking for a job. After a job interview with Colonel Albert Blanton, Elmer was told, “Son, we aren’t hiring any hands today”.
Elmer was told by another employee to come to work Monday anyway and Elmer stuck around for seven decades! Elmer always strived to be plant manager. ETL was a maintenance engineer, worked his way up to plant engineer (construction work and modernizing equipment), then plant superintendent after about 15 years in engineering. Finally in 1981 Elmer was promoted to plant manager and master distiller!
Elmer T Lee had a treasure trove of knowledge about distillation, bourbon maturation, warehouses and tasting. Elmer normally aged his more premium bourbons on the top floors of the warehouses. The top floors have larger fluctuations in temperature leading to the whiskey moving in and out of the wood more often and penetrating deeper into the wood. This process lead to a “fasting aging”. The lower floors of the warehouses were reserved for brands with higher age statements. The smaller fluctuations in temperature prevents the barrels on the lower floors from losing too much bourbon to the Angel’s Share. Elmer seemed to believe that if bourbons with higher age statements aged too quickly they would, “go over the hill”.
History of Colonel Blanton’s Bourbon
Elmer remembers Colonel Blanton being a quiet man, well respected and knew what he was doing. Blanton also lived in a stone house near the distillery. The Colonel did like to entertain and before a big party would ask for samples from barrels aged in Warehouse H (Colonel Blanton’s favorite warehouse) that were aged at least 8 years. He would taste the samples and pick his favorite barrel to be bottled for his party and guests. Warehouse H, to this day, still has metal siding that provides very little insulation to the change in temperatures. The lack of insulation allows the bourbon in Warehouse H to age faster than bourbon in some of the brick warehouses that have more insulation and less fluctuations in temperature. Rumor has it that Colonel Blanton favored the barrels that aged in front of windows!
Elmer T Lee and Blanton’s Bourbon
Elmer helped revitalize the bourbon industry in the 1980’s when the spirit was forgotten and in decline. Even non-bourbon fans are probably familiar with Blanton’s and Elmer T Lee is the mastermind behind developing and releasing this rare and sought after bottle. In 1984 Elmer was plant manager and master distiller, he remembers the George T Stagg distillery being outdated, run down and bourbon was an afterthought in the current market. Plant owners came to Elmer looking for ideas on developing a premium bourbon. Many ideas were thrown around but the one that stuck was inspired by Colonel Blanton’s love for single barrel bourbons aged in Warehouse H.
Elmer was then put in charge of selecting the single barrels to be bottled as Blanton’s, placed in a unique sphere shaped bottled and corked with a race horse topper. Elmer remembers Blanton’s Bourbon starting really slow in the US market but the Japanese loved it. It took a few years for Blanton’s popularity to grow in the US but soon became a very popular. Elmer T Lee is credited for creating the idea of the first commercial released single barrel bourbon!
When Was Elmer T Lee Bourbon First Bottled?
Elmer T Lee retired from the George T Stagg Distillery around 1985-1986 but stayed closely involved. In 1986 Buffalo Trace wanted to honor Elmer T Lee by naming and bottling a bourbon after their former master distiller. Elmer obliged but stated he must be the one to pick out the barrels for his namesake bourbon. All of his samples came from his favorite Warehouses I and K, were normally aged anywhere from 9-10 years and bottled as single barrels at 90 proof. Elmer was not a fan over high age statement bourbons or barrel proof bourbons. Much different than what most bourbon enthusiasts chase after now! Elmer enjoyed smooth, approachable bourbons with vanilla and oak highlighting the flavor profile aged around 8-10 years.
Since the first bottling of Elmer T Lee Bourbon, there have been many special editions released to honor ETL. From left to right, Elmer T Lee 90th Birthday Edition, Elmer T Lee 100 Year Tribute and Elmer T Lee Commemorative “Death” Bottle.
Who Makes Elmer T Lee Bourbon?
Elmer T Lee is distilled from Mashbill #2 (around 12-15% rye) which is the “high rye” mashbill at Buffalo Trace. This mashbill is also used for Blanton’s, Rock Hill Farms, Hancock’s Reserve and Ancient Age. Mashbill #2 is owned by a Japanese Company, Ancient Age International. It is worth noting that the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection does not have any whiskey’s in it from mashbill #2. Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlan Wheatley oversees the distillation, barreling and maturation of ETL. When it is time to bottle, the single barrel samples selected are placed in front of a tasting panel and compared to the brand standard. When ETL was selecting barrels, he approved of around 90% of the samples and rejected around 10%.
Below are examples of different vintages of Elmer T Lee (2012 vs 2018). Notice the change in label shape and wording. You can also reference the laser code on Buffalo Trace bottlings to help date the bottle if it is visible and legible. Elmer passed away in 2013 and the bourbon industry lost a great man. I am not sure exactly when the back label changed, but Buffalo Trace still honors, Elmer T Lee, a bourbon legend today. I am very excited to taste this special bourbon, let’s dive in!
Elmer T Lee Bourbon Review
I will confess that I am biased and hold Elmer T Lee bourbon in higher regards than most. In today’s crazy bourbon market Elmer T Lee is near impossible to find on store shelves and sells for $250 on the secondary markets. In my college days in the late 2000’s I would mix Jim Beam Black label or take shots of Rebel Yell, but my true appreciate for bourbon started with the recommendation from a Liquor Barn employee to pick up a bottle of Elmer T Lee (for $30 haha). At 90 proof ETL has an approachable proof, well aged (8-10 years), distinct flavors (vanilla and oak) and an interesting story to tell. In my opinion, all of these attributes are a perfect combination for a gateway bourbon for true appreciation of the minute details of the spirit. I still have one bottle unopened from 2012. I had an opened bottle from ~2009 that I was saving for a special occasion but my father-in-law found it and ended up mixing it with Coke! No worries though, Elmer preferred his bourbon mixed in Sprite or 7UP so it was polished off the way Elmer would have like it! Always enjoy bourbon however you want to enjoy it.
I poured this neat in a glencairn and let rest for ~15 minutes. You can buy a set of glencairns like I use to taste bourbon. The glencairn is the preferred drinking glass of most whiskey enthusiasts when drinking their pour neat.
Color – Very light amber or darker straw hue, lighter than I remembered. My research (and past experiences with this bottle) indicates that Elmer used to be 8-10 years old, but the light color has me thinking the age has dropped on these since Elmer is no longer picking barrels. By color alone I would think 5-7 years old.
Aroma – Approaching the glencairn I don’t find the aroma until my nose is almost in the glass. Very subtle sweetness like the aftertaste of a cherry or strawberry that lingers in your mouth. After the initial sweetness there is a touch of oak and faint vanilla. The alcohol aroma is nearly absent and no off-putting astringent or youthful notes at all.
Taste – Again the flavors are there but are very subtle. Honestly, that’s how I think Elmer liked it! A good amount of oakiness sticks out first and foremost. The mid palate lights up with a black pepper tingle from the rye, that leads into the back palate that actually lights up with some alcohol. I’m looking for one of Elmer’s favorite flavors, vanilla, and I’m not finding it. I remember different bottles I’ve had in the past are more vanilla forward and its absence is upsetting. The backend of the palate keeps getting hit with strong alcohol flavors leading me to think this is younger than what Elmer was accustomed to.
Finish – A strong finish for a 90 proof bourbon. This single barrel drinks a little hotter than I would have expected but I enjoy that. A strong Kentucky Hug for lower proofed bourbon. Again faint notes of oak and pepper linger but dissipate quickly.
Rating – 6.7/10
Thoughts -This bottle is a beautiful tribute to a bourbon legend and THE bottle that was my gateway bourbon. I will always hold Elmer T Lee is high regard and have great memories of the times I spent with friends enjoying it. I wish it was easier and cheaper to find now, but the days of this being a shelfer are long gone. This particular bottle I have tasted and reviewed is a single barrel and there can be some variation even though these bottling should be held to the brands tasting profile. After tasting and dissecting this pour, I was unimpressed. The barrel influence just wasn’t very prominent and the alcohol was stronger than expected for a 90 proof pour. Would I buy this at secondary prices of $250? No way! If I saw a bottle on the shelf for MSRP or a little more I would pick it up in a heartbeat. I would probably reach for a Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare Store Pick as a cheaper, easier to find, higher age and more flavorful alternative.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Debonair Gentlemen 
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