Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Sour Mash is Buffalo Trace's tribute to the man who brought single barrel bourbon to market. It is a 90 proof Kentucky straight bourbon, bottled one cask at a time and made with the sour mash method printed on the label.
About This Bourbon
Sour mash means a portion of spent mash from a previous distillation is added to each new fermentation, which keeps acidity and yeast behaviour consistent from batch to batch. The bourbon is made from Mash Bill #2, the higher-rye of Buffalo Trace's two bourbon recipes, aged in new charred American oak and bottled at 45% ABV without an age statement. Each bottle comes from a single barrel selected by the distillery's tasting team.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Vanilla, clove and honey, with orange peel and a little polished leather.
- Palate: Silky and even. Honey, soft red fruit and caramel, lifted by gentle rye spice and toasted oak.
- Finish: Warm and slow to fade, ending on vanilla, dry oak and pepper.
Serving & Food
Try it neat, then with a little chilled water to bring the honey forward. A highball with soda and orange peel works on a summer evening. Char siu, honey-glazed chicken wings or a cheese plate with Manchego.
How to Enjoy
A thoughtful gift for a bourbon drinker, or a steady single barrel to keep open at home.
Product Details
Producer / Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Expression: Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Country: USA
Region: Frankfort, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (higher rye)
Age: No age statement
ABV: 45%
Proof: 90 proof
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery sits on the banks of the Kentucky River in Frankfort and has been owned by the Sazerac Company since 1992. The site was named a National Historic Landmark in 2013. Elmer Tandy Lee (1919 to 2013) started there in 1949 as a maintenance engineer, worked his way up to master distiller, and in 1984 launched Blanton's, the first bourbon marketed as a single barrel.
When he retired in 1985 the distillery gave him a bourbon of his own. Lee kept tasting and choosing barrels for it well into old age, and the bottling is still picked one cask at a time to the profile he set.