How Elmer T. Lee Earned Its Legacy As A Distinguished Bourbon

In the world of spirits, every category comes with its own peculiarities. And for bourbon, there's the ups and downs of its demand. Only a couple of decades ago, the liquor was out of fashion and accordingly priced. But as the 21st century unfolded, a new wave of drinkers gravitated toward the spirit. Certain expressions became especially venerated, and hype trains ensued. The allocation of bourbons to certain producers became more common, as did reselling bottles in the secondary market.

Buffalo Trace's Elmer T. Lee is an example of such a bottle. Launched during the 1980s, this single barrel bourbon maintains an official price of around $40. Yet with a delicious flavor and historic legacy, the bottle has intrigued many collectors, causing a secondary market resale value that often nears $400. For some, the level of attention matched with an initially low-priced product led to disappointment.

However, it's crucial to remember that Elmer T. Lee is a distinguished bourbon, cementing the legacy of a master distiller. Rather than simply a bottle born of hype, it's Buffalo Trace's ode to the man who created the first single barrel expression. And especially at its MSRP, the bourbon's a delicious drink that's delighted drinkers for decades.

Buffalo Trace released the first bottling of bourbon as a commemoration of Elmer T. Lee's retirement. The bourbon innovator started working for the must-know brand in 1949, working up a title of plant manager in 1969. Near the end of his career in the 1980s, he proposed the distillation and sale of the first single barrel bourbon. At the time, such a move was highly innovative — even bourbon's of the same mash and age can taste different based on the barrel type and location.

Yet Elmer T. Lee himself taste-tasted the product from a singular barrel, bottling the sweet-flavored batches without further interactions. This product was released as Blanton's Single Barrel, a bourbon still sold today and even occasionally spotted at Costco. Curiously, this whiskey didn't sell well in the United States and was instead directed at the Japanese market. Made to taste like smooth Scotch, it's said that by way of Elmer T. Lee's whiskey selection the bottle became an exported success. And as a result, this subsequently propped up the American domestic bourbon market, too.

The Elmer T. Lee bourbon came out several years later, and offered a similar fruit-forward, sweet, yet balanced palate. Well-rounded and dessert-like, it's a delicious bourbon, with an official pricing made deliberately accessible just like the original Blanton single barrel. Especially with its part in Buffalo Trace history, its captivation is understandable. Although it's important to note astounding complexity and depth was never its aim, hence unrealistic expectation among certain drinkers.