Buffalo Trace bottled this Elmer T. Lee Commemorative edition after the master distiller died in July 2013, marking his life with the dates 1919-2013 on the label. It is a single barrel Kentucky bourbon at 93 proof, a figure chosen to match the years he lived.
About This Bourbon
The commemorative bottling uses the same Mash Bill #2 as the regular Elmer T. Lee, the higher-rye bourbon recipe also behind Blanton's. Where the standard label sits at 90 proof, this one was set at 93 as a tribute. It was a one-time release, and it should not be confused with the 100 proof Elmer T. Lee 100 Year Tribute that marked his centenary in 2019.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Vanilla, caramel and warm honey on buttered toast.
- Palate: Silky and a little fuller than the 90 proof, with honey and vanilla before a gentle rye spice.
- Finish: Long and slightly peppery, the spice carrying right through.
Serving & Food
Pour it neat, at room temperature, into a Glencairn or small snifter. This is a bottle for raising a glass rather than mixing. Pair with honey-roast pork, salted Marcona almonds or a slice of butter cake.
How to Enjoy
Buffalo Trace enthusiasts and collectors of commemorative bottlings, or a toast to the distiller who brought single barrel bourbon to market.
Product Details
Producer / Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Expression: Elmer T. Lee Commemorative Bottle 1919-2013
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, single barrel
ABV / Strength: 93 proof / 46.5% ABV
Bottle size / Format: 750mL
Mash bill: Mash Bill #2
Edition detail: One-time commemorative bottling honouring Elmer T. Lee (1919-2013)
About the Distillery
Elmer Tandy Lee was born in August 1919 on a tobacco farm in Franklin County, Kentucky. He served as a radar bombardier in the Second World War, earned an engineering degree at the University of Kentucky, and joined the Frankfort distillery, then run by Colonel Albert B. Blanton, as a maintenance engineer. He rose to master distiller and in 1984 launched Blanton's, the first modern bourbon sold as a single barrel. He retired in 1985, and in 1986 the distillery, now Buffalo Trace, put his name on a single barrel bourbon, for which he kept selecting barrels into his nineties.