When you’re 91 years old what do you want to be doing?
That’s an easy question to answer for Elmer Tandy Lee. Elmer is the 91 year old Master Distiller Emeritus at Buffalo Trace Distillery, and what he wants to do is what he’s been doing for the last fifty years: make good bourbon whiskey!
But after fifty years, Elmer gets to be very selective. He’s earned the right. And these days the whiskey he is most proud of is the one that bears his name, Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon.
Elmer’s back to crafting his whiskey one barrel at a time, and he puts every bit of his knowledge and experience into those barrels, so this whiskey will reflect his own personal taste and his own personal style.
If the Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon is anything like Elmer T. Lee the man…then Elmer must be a very likeable guy, a very smooth and easy to get along with guy. A good old boy, in the best sense of what that means.
Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the smoothest of bourbons you’re ever going to find. Also one of the sweetest---and that’s sweetest in a good sense, mind you---around today.
It’s a robust 90 proof, but that’s just because the richness of the bourbon needs that alcohol to keep everything in just the right balance; as a result, you really don’t feel any burn in this bourbon, just warmth, rich and smooth and silky warmth right down your throat and into your insides.
There’s honey and spice here, with more honey than spice, and creamery butter and oozy caramel and chewy butterscotch---but there’s a touch of clover and the sense of old, soft comfortable leather and a touch of spiciness to keep everything interesting.
There’s nothing written about how old the bourbon is---but an experienced wild guess says that somewhere around 12 to 14 years feels about right. It just feels like a rounded and mature bourbon.
Elmer T. Lee is a perfectly balanced, seamless pleasure, with nothing awkwardly sticking out. So seamless that it’s more akin to drinking a fine wine than a bourbon. From the warm, buttery nose to the rich flavor and to the long, lingering finish that just seems to go on forever (or at least until the next sip starts everything all over again) this is an altogether lovely bourbon.