Ep. 7: The Man Who Changed Whiskey

Before collectors were hunting bottles, before allocated releases became a contact sport, before the phrase "single barrel" meant anything to anyone — Elmer T. Lee made it mean something. This week on Whiskey Face, we pour the bourbon that bears his name.Elmer T. Lee spent decades at what is now Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, rising to Master Distiller and eventually helping create something that didn't exist before he thought of it: a bourbon bottled from a single barrel, with no blending, no averaging out the rough edges, no safety net. Just one barrel, start to finish. That bourbon — Blanton's Single Barrel — launched in 1984, and it changed what people believed American whiskey could be. The Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel is Buffalo Trace Distillery's way of saying thank you.It's also, as Thom will mention several times, a highly-sought-after bottle.That's the context. Here's the episode: Thom pours a whiskey with a backstory as big as its reputation, walks through what makes single barrel bourbon different, and how the Elmer T. Lee is the same, and yet different, from Blanton's. Then he hands a glass to Patsy — who, bless her heart, remains unmoved by legacy.The Redemption Round this week is the Tribute Old Fashioned — a cocktail designed to honor Elmer T. Lee and the single barrel tradition he built. It is, structurally, an act of respect, even if it hurts Thom's soul to mix it. Whether Patsy sees it that way is another matter.Where does this one land on the Whiskey Face Scale? Grab your own glass and find out.~~~~~Find your spirit glass on the Whiskey Face Scale — grab merch at whiskeyface.live. Follow us on Facebook for updates and Patsy's ongoing suffering.Want to listen to Patsy's radio show on gratitude? Listen on Syndicate Empire's Michele in the Middle the 4th Wednesday of every month from 1-4pm Mountain Time.#ElmerTLee #WhiskeyFace #bourbonpodcast #buffalotracedistillery #WhiskeyFaceScale #TributeOldFashioned