Review #11: Elmer T. Lee: Bourbon

Score: 8.7 / 10

Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Type: Kentucky Straight Sour Mash

A few months back I wandered into a hole in the wall liquor store that always carries a number of Buffalo Trace products and that day was my lucky day. There on the shelf was a bottle of Elmer T. Lee – the only one that I had ever seen out in the wild. EVER! This has been an incredibly hard to find allocated whiskey. Even better yet, it was positioned next to four bottles of Stagg Jr. so I had to buy em’ all. When I got home I cracked open the Elmer and invited my roommate to share a dram with me. His opinion? “Damn, wow, damn that’s good!” He said. I agreed and we proceeded to have three or so more pours. The next weekend he came up to me and asked, “Do you have any more of that…. Uh… that Elmer… Elmer T. FUDGE?” He’s a gin drinker mind you so I had a good laugh then we enjoyed another pour. Well, high time I sat down and reviewed our old mash bill #2 friend.

Whiskey Review:

Nose: light ethanol that is promptly overpowered by vanilla, oak and baking spice. Sweet buttered corn, raisin and whipping cream with a touch of wafer.

Palate: A very oily mouthfeel that immediately begins with a big burst of fruit and citrus which ultimately fades into a mellow cinnamon sizzle. The initial fruit burst is intense highlighting flavors such as red apple, cherry and plum. The second phase of the whiskey fades into cinnamon which quickly dissipates leaving oak and a light hint of char. Note – the first sip on this dram leads with a sour note but that is muted as you get deeper into the glass.

Finish: leaves a very mellow and “clean” finish. Not a ton of lingering notes hang around – the finish is short and sweet, but does have a lightly tannic finish that instills a bit sugar and weight on the sides of my mouth.

Score: 8.7 this whiskey is just so damn sessionable. Drams disappear easily so pray for the remainder of this bottle because its days are numbered. I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy a nice pour of “Elmer T. Fudge” with a good friend.

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability: Very Rare. This particular bottle is the only one I've seen on a shelf so far. I have heard it's a little more common than that, but this bourbon seems to elude me.....