Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Elmer T. Lee created Blanton's — the first single-barrel bourbon, in 1984 — and this is the bottle Buffalo Trace named for him when he retired. Lee joined the George T. Stagg distillery in 1949, became master distiller in 1968, kept the place alive through the bourbon bust by launching Blanton's, and stayed on as master distiller emeritus, hand-selecting barrels for this label until his death at 93 in 2013. Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel is Mash Bill #2 — the higher-rye Buffalo Trace recipe behind Blanton's, Rock Hill Farms, and Hancock's, believed around 12 to 15% rye — from single barrels aged roughly nine to twelve years in the warehouses Lee knew best, bottled at 90 proof with no age statement. Bourbon Culture lists it among the Mash Bill #2 bottles that barrel-pick groups sometimes find in Eagle Rare racks — the recipe's fingerprint is unmistakable. Expect the Blanton's family profile in a gentler register: a nose of honey, vanilla, orange, and light caramel with a mint-and-rye lift, opening into a soft, balanced palate of butterscotch, toffee, dried fruit, and gentle oak with a clean, moderately long, warm finish — less spice than Blanton's, more elegance than Ancient Age. Honest note: it's been allocated for a decade and the secondary treats a $40 bourbon like a $300 one; at retail it's among the best pours in Frankfort. Neat, and slowly. Elmer's own.

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