A little history of the Elmer T Lee brand:
Over the last decade or so, established distilleries looking to create new brands have turned to their own past and present master distillers as namesakes – hence, Parker’s, Blanton’s, E.H. Taylor, Booker’s, and our boy Elmer T Lee.
Lee, a radar bomb bombardier in the Pacific during World War II, joined the George T Stagg distillery (Buffalo Trace now) in 1949. He then became plant manager in 1969 and after retiring in 1985, earned the title of distiller “emeritus.”
One of his last actions as master distiller was the introduction of Blanton’s in 1984. It was the first single-barrel bourbon and the release many people credit as the beginning of the whiskey renaissance.
In honor of Lee’s service to the distillery, Buffalo trace developed the Elmer T Lee brand, a single-barrel whiskey that, for a time, was selected by the Lee himself. It carries no age statement, as Buffalo Trace claims that Lee wanted to pick the barrels when HE knew they were ready… not by the number of years spent aging in the rickhouse.
Today the brand is owned by Age International, a Japanese company, which also owns Ancient Age, Blanton’s, Rock Hill Farms, and Hancock Reserve. All are made by Buffalo Trace, and all use their high-rye Mash Bill #2.
Elmer T Lee Tasting Notes:
Age: NAS
Proof: 90
Color: Amber
Nose: Floral notes alongside citrus with a slight hint of mint.
Palate: If you made apple crisp but topped it with raisin bran.
Finish: Lacks depths and left a weird metallic taste.
