There was a time when I would have told you that Elmer T. Lee was my favorite bourbon. No, I don't mean the best bourbon I've ever had. I mean the "daily driver" kind of bourbon where there is no danger like with upper-end shelf queens that you won't be able to find or afford more. Sadly, those days are gone for my once beloved daily. Just like with almost every Buffalo Trace product, Elmer is now on strict allocation. In the past year the only time I've seen Elmer T. Lee was in lottery lineups this Fall along with other highly allocated items like the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and Pappy Van Winkle. If that wasn't bad enough, the real kicker is that while it used to be an upper $20 bottle the average price these days seems to hover around $40 with even occasional stupid sightings of $60 - $100.
In large part due to the scarcity I've been hesitant to open the bottles of it I've bunkered. After over a year of not having an open a bottle I thought it was time I revisit an old friend to see how I feel about him.
45% ABV; No Age Statement; 2013 laser code; $30
The nose is more spicy than sweet with menthol, clove, and dry oak notes. The typical bourbon sweetness starts to come through on the initial palate which is predominated by vanilla. There are some other interesting things going on like light citrus, dry oak, and some bitter tobacco. The initial sweetness soon gives way to a menthol, clove, and pepper spiciness which dominates all the way to the end of the finish. Some darker sweets like toffee do fade in at the very end. All in all I'm rather put off by the lack of sweetness here and the heavy handed presence of bitter spice.
Thoughts: I started this review by saying Elmer used to be my favorite bourbon but I'm just not enjoying it as much as I once did. With this being a single barrel bourbon normally I would attribute this to possibly being an off barrel but a few months ago I rated another bottle last in a blind tasting against other single barrel Buffalo Trace bourbons. I think it's fair to say the whiskey hasn't changed but I have.
The best I can say is that Elmer is an easy sipper with some nice spice notes. On the negative side I would say it's not as balanced as I would like and I can't help but go back to how it's no longer a great value. With Four Roses Single Barrel still hovering at the $30 mark I'd venture to say it's a superior bourbon from both a value perspective and a quality perspective. Step up to the $40 mark and you'll find cask strength private selections of 8-9 year Smooth Ambler Old Scout which are a great bargain and can be very good. At half the price I'd even give a nod to Wild Turkey 101 as a stiff competitor. Even someone such as me who holds a lot of romanticism for this whiskey can't overlook that it's no longer an underdog punching above its weight class.
Rating: C+
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