Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon

Almost exactly a year ago I was sitting in a restaurant neighboring a hotel I was staying in having a late dinner after catching a flight in to Phoenix International for one of my many business trips that I was on for a previous job of mine. I was delighted to see Elmer T Lee on the menu and had a taste. But when you're sitting in a restaurant surrounded by the smell of food and the sounds of music and conversation, it's difficult to focus on the task at hand. Well, fast forward a year later and I was able to finally get a bottle of my very own. And now here comes the serious review of Elmer T Lee, sipped neat from a Glencairn as the whiskey Gods intended. The nose is a beautiful mix of sweet and spicy. Smells like sweet apple pie but a little heavy handed on the cinnamon. Plenty of vanilla whipped topping on there and all that dessert sweetness is wrapped up in a leather jacket. The taste is distinctly devoid of alcohol heat and beautifully sweet. That apple pie follows right into the taste and you definitely get the cinnamon swirl from the nose. Some caramel cream really softens the flavor profile up mid taste and creates a viscous and coating mouth feel. So good. Just before the prevalent spiciness of the finish kicks in, a little bit of leather jacket dries up all of that sweetness from the taste and leaves just the cinnamon. But remember that thick mouth feel I described from the taste? It luckily stays for the finish which is satisfyingly long, oily and spicy. Your tongue is left with a slight tingle which keeps you going back for more. God.... this is truly one of the greats. I see why its so hyped and it does deserve the hype. Exactly a year ago secondary pricing was going for 300-400. But I just picked up my bottle local for 199, which is still more than we should be paying for the privilege ( a place local to me had a Black Friday special on Elmer for $99 a bottle. I missed the last one by about 5 minutes ). However, sometimes you've just got to treat yourself to some damn good bourbon.

Whenever I attend the 2nd Mashbill group service at the Buffalo Trace Grief Counseling Center, my friends there refer to this as an underperformer. Possibly better than Blanton’s, but nowhere near Blanton’s Gold or RHF. I’ve always nodded with reverence, but I realize tonight that I’ve never really given this guy a fair shot. I intend to make up for that now. I’m gonna go so deep you could call me Sisko. If that ain’t a rap lyric from the early 2000s, it should be. Nose is tart and faint. Honey, lemon, vanilla. Melon. Hint of brine. Coffee grounds. Body is gentle and juicy. Flavor fades very quickly though. Vanilla hits first. That MB2 apple is there too, along with chocolate, brine, and then… lavender? I’m leaving it in. There’s definitely some floral note there at the end of the sip, and I can’t think of anything better. Finish is mild, but lingers. There’s cinnamon, syrup. A bit of the apple hangs on, but cinnamon is the key player. This is delightful. I’m excited before I sip and satisfied when I’m done. If this falls short of RHF and Blanton’s gold… I think it would be like being the ugly Jonas Brother. You know the one. I mean… you still got it going on. When I switched over to gold… and I know I love gold… the gold tasted bitter and acidic. Not great. I did a palate cleanse so I could enjoy my second drink, but for me the takeaway is that within the MB2 club, ETL must lean sweet and creamy, whereas Blanton’s in all of its incarnations is a bit more nutty and bitter. Next day: I compare to Hancock’s now. I think Hancock’s is better. It keeps all the good but loses some of that bitterness. There’s more sugar, more tart. This is a more… “apples to apples” comparison. 😎. I can’t really find anything that ETL does better. Don’t have an open RHF at the moment, but I know it wins. Also confident enough to say that Ancient Age loses. Even being a fan boy I have trouble parsing between all these. It’s a good whiskey. It’s not my favorite by a few, but it’s good. Would always be eager to share with a friend.

I first had Elmer T. Lee at a bar back on March 24th. I was so impressed that I left a quick review as I sat there sipping it. Since then, I've been looking for it, and my patience finally paid off. My trusty grocery store guys came through for me, and I was able to get it at SRP (Other shops nearby are charging nearly 4X SRP! I really hate that). Anyway, here is my new and more "detailed" review... Color: Medium/Light Copper-Amber Nose: Fairly "mild" nose — not surprising considering the relatively low proof. Slightly leathery, oaky. Palate: (Drank with an ice cube) Oaky, slightly sweet with equal parts spicy. This stuff has a very unique flavor profile, while presenting some very familiar flavors I get from the likes of Blanton's. I know that doesn't really make sense, but at the same time, it kind'a does (if you know the history of Elmer T. Lee). The more I sip, the more I get a certain "apple crisp" dessert from one of my favorite local eateries: Apple, vanilla ice cream, and oats. A very subtle, smooth, and easy sipper. Finish: Medium, I guess... with a "warm buttery toasted bread" kind'a quality — graham cracker, as well. My original star rating was 4.5. That rating stands! This is a bottle I would take with me into exile.

Nose is full of vanilla, cherry, oak, cake frosting, marshmallow, and flan. No real spice to speak of, it’s all sweetness and wood. Ethanol is non-existent. Palate matches the nose quite well, so see above because it’s all there. Some additional notes of apple, strawberry, cinnamon sugar, and sweetened oak. It’s like oak soaked in cotton candy. It isn’t a terribly complex profile, but whats here is gooood. Packs in a lot of flavor for 90 proof. Finish is a slow morph from the palate bringing the cherry promised in the aroma, cinnamon bear candy, and more of that delicious sweet oak. Mouthfeel is an absolute joy; soft, silky, and nicely viscous, complementing the palate perfectly and greatly elevating the overall experience. Could be descirned as “short”, but when its this good i just don’t care. Ok it’s easy to see why BT bottles like this are hyped up; it’s great. The dilemma; do I rate it at the retail that I bought it for (thanks Total Wine raffle!) or what most people are paying? I certainly wouldn’t pay like $200 for this but at the $52 I paid? In that case it’s a 5.0 all the way.

ELMER T LEE NOSE: Dry and Oaky. Cinnamon Stick, Brown Sugar, Hazelnut, Weathered Leather, and Black Pepper. NEAT: Up front is Drying Oak Tannins, Cinnamon, Peanut Brittle, Black Pepper, Rye Spice, and a Hint of Barnyard. Not overly complex, but Solid. However, the backend and Finish downgrades the overall experience with an overly Bitter note. SPLASH: Helps with the Bitterness at the end, transforming it more towards Baking Spice. VERDICT: After years of hype, I’m a little disappointed in this. It is solid (and perhaps I’m being a little hard on it after last night’s excellent 4 Roses pour), but this barrel at least, is definitely not secondary price worthy.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: A strong apple note dominates the nose, followed by vanilla and caramel. Palate: Baking spice and clove up front give way to some mild cinnamon notes. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: Some oaky tannins appear. Overall: 9/10 - This certainly doesn’t live up to the hype or secondary pricing, but at MSRP this is delicious. As I said in my last review 3 years ago, this would make a great daily or weekly sipper if it were more available (at MSRP).