Elmer T. Lee

A little background

Oh Elmer, what an interesting position you put me in with this review.  For those new to the bourbon world (or have been living under a rock) Elmer T. Lee (90⁰) is a single barrel offering out of Buffalo Trace from their mash-bill #2 and was a daily drinker for many until a couple of years ago when BT put the product on allotment.  With less bottles on the shelves the secondary value jumped to roughly 2.5x the retail value of $40 causing a sour taste in many mouths.  For this review the “Value” rating will be based on retail value and I will address secondary price in the closing section. 

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn.)

Color in the glass

Deep Gold

Nose

Light and sweet with honey, vanilla, stewed pears, and nectarine.  There is a small but noticeable hint of oak.

Palate

Honey drizzled over fresh fruit with vanilla and caramel undertones. Very sweet with little to no heat.

Finish

It is here on the finish that I figured this dram would fall off due to the proof, but I was wrong. The sweet notes linger for a few seconds before being replaced by Cinnamon Rock Candy that just sticks to all the crevasses in the mouth and refuses to go away.

In closing

It is here that I must address the elephant in the room.  Elmer T. Lee is a great bourbon for $40, but it is quite frankly a terrible value at $100+.  In my opinion this is a perfect example of the Law of Diminishing Returns kicking in where I can buy multiple bottles of similar quality for the same price I would have to pay for one bottle of ETL on the secondary market.