People might not like this take, but I think the need-to-hunt aspect for BT products is good for bourbon as a whole, it gets people interested in bourbon in general and keeps them interested, whether they continue drinking BT products or branch out into other stuff. Everybody who complains about the lack of availability of BT products probably already has plenty of whiskey to drink anyway.
Awesome video, man. Big fan of the channel. I think the deal with Buffalo Trace and why these bottles are so coveted are not that they have the MOST flavor, it’s that they are the only distillery that can deliver THAT flavor. It’s pretty rare that you taste something from an entirely different distillery and are fooled that you are drinking a BT product.
Couldn’t agree more. I just cracked a bottle for the first time yesterday. I would be EXTREMELY disappointed dropping two + benjis for this after taking a sip 😅. Good but that’s it.
I like the idea of making more of one and getting rid of the others. I have a feeling that at this point, no matter how much product goes out to store shelves, idiots will clear the shelves. I don’t think any of these would sit on shelves at SRP.
Drew, you make a lot of good points. Thanks for a great review. The one and only time I bought ETL was around 2009. It was a store pick at ~$35. I thought it was ok but pretty meh compared to my favorite bourbon at the time which was Knob Creek. I do enjoy Blanton's from time to time but only if I can get it in the $50 range. I do think it's superior to ETL. I recently scored a Rock Hill Farms and have had one pour so far; the "neck pour". I have to say, it blows Blanton's out of the water! The proof point is perfect at 50% and it's layered and complex with an amazing finish. I wouldn't pay secondary for it (I don't even know what that price is) but I'd pay $100 or a bit more without hesitating. It's worth the hype, IMO. Plus it has the coolest looking bottle out there...
You hit the nail on the head. It has some good flavors, but I was afraid I caught COVID the first time I tasted it because of how subtle all the notes were. It almost needs subtitles it’s so quiet.
Could not agree more. Old enough to remember when Elmer and Blanton were on the shelf at Bev Mo. They were fine. That’s all. Fine. I do like higher proofs so they really do not hit the mark even at msrp. I will take a ECBP or a Rare Breed over any of them. Except Stagg. That is my weakness. 😁
Excellent information and choices of good bourbon. I can recall being always able to find Eagle Rare 100 proof at very reasonable prices. Then the proof went down, then the brand became almost impossible to find
Might have been fun to compare ETL with Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star. Both 90 proof, both mash bill #2. Fun fact: Ancient Age was the name of the distillery sold by Schenley to Age International in 1983, which was right around the time Blanton's was developed. Age International sold the distillery to Sazerac but kept the trademarks on the mash bill #2 brands as you mentioned.
It exists just like the antiques, pappy, and so much more BT makes. So their distributors can push crappy fireball and vodka onto stores in hopes of getting one or two "special bottles". Its a big marketing game. Etl isnt worth much more than 40 bucks but its like a rookie MJ card. Not many around and its a collector item for most. I gave up on it a long time ago and found amazing stuff from other distillers. I only buy BT stuff from the distillery now so i can trade it. Its amazing what some ppl will trade for blantons!
I overpaid for Elmer T Lee the one and only time I had a chance to buy it. Steve's Liquor in Madison had some a few weeks ago but I missed out by a few seconds, I watched someone walk out with the last bottle. I won't dump on it because it is really good but it does remind me of Blantons. Cheers
When I could walk into a store and pick up a bottle any time I wanted for $29.99 I bought it often. I had a rotation of it and Elijah Craig 12 as daily drinkers, but I usually. At that price, especially when standard Buffalo Trace was like $22, I thought it was a good deal. But I could also go get Weller 12 and the EC for the same price or less. Every once in a while I'll get a pour in a bar (when it's a reasonable price) and I don't think it's quite as good as it used to be, or maybe my palate has changed. If I saw one on the shelf at MSRP, I'd still pick it up. But I feel the same way about almost all the Buffalo Trace products. If I don't have one and I see one at MSRP, I'll get it. But I'm not going to pay secondary prices for any of that stuff.
Elmer T. Lee by me is $329.99 now. It is super rare and VERY VERY hard to get. You'll see ER, Blantons on occasion at retail. Hancock's, Rockhill Farms and ETL are no where to be found at retail. That is the similarity I'm seeing.
Could not agree more. So many products that taste..... nearly the same to me. The Weller line is what really gets me. When you have 7 bottles in that lineup and for me when finding just the basic special reserve is a chore. How can you justify adding a "single barrel" option a year or two ago? Infuriates me when you cant even meet demand, and you add another to the line.
I’ve been lucky to get 4 bottles of ETL here in Virginia for MSRP over the last few years. It is not worth the secondary prices at all! It’s good at MSRP for sure.
New sub. The way you handled the commentary at around 6:06 made me seek out the subscribe button 😂 After finally obtaining an Elmer I’d have to agree. Glad to have it but not jonesing for a replacement when it’s gone. Great vid 👍
As always, great video… I’m kinda with you in the idea that it’s ridiculous (my words) that BT products are soooo stinkin hard to find and goes for bonker prices on secondary. It seems to me that the people (at least among people I know) that have ETL, Blantons, or Hancock in their collections are typically not drinking bourbon on the regular. (Which is totally fine! Not throwing shade on them for only drinking once a month or whatnot.) I think that those who don’t drink all the time but have the money to drop will be attracted to the hype and the low proof of those bourbons. But those who drink multiple times a week (if not daily) have graduated past 88-93 proof whiskey and enjoy the complexity of 95-115 proof (or higher). I’ve had several Blantons, ER, and BT bottles of my own, along with tasting Hancock, EHTs, and ETL from local friends… and though they’re good, easy sipping, and definitely sweet and fruit forward bourbons, I don’t reach for them all that often - and def wouldn’t go out of my way to pay secondary for them. Don’t get me wrong, if I saw any of those bottles on shelves at MSRP, I’d gladly pick one just to add to my collection (and of course, drink them) because, why not?! But I don’t have to chase BT products to find low proof offerings readily available which are cheaper and still delicious (like RR small batch, EC, KC, Wild Turkey, 1792, Bowman products, and Makers offerings).
Couldn't agree more. I searched and searched for Elmer and now that I've purshased three different bottles over time...... unequivocally its a no for me. Its decent and thats what it is. It taste like a 30ish dollar whiskey and at that price I'd buy it again. But, 50 or more is ridiculous for whats in the bottle. Don't waster your time like I did hoping for something incredible.
I always passed your videos, I’m sorry I did! Your explanations and overall knowledge about what you drink floors me! You are quietly entertaining and you really say how it is! Will not pass again!
I am soooo over BT Products. There are so many bourbons that are better that you can find. We need to make BT pay for making everything so hard to find by refusing to buy them until they market things fairly.
People might not like this take, but I think the need-to-hunt aspect for BT products is good for bourbon as a whole, it gets people interested in bourbon in general and keeps them interested, whether they continue drinking BT products or branch out into other stuff. Everybody who complains about the lack of availability of BT products probably already has plenty of whiskey to drink anyway.
Awesome video, man. Big fan of the channel. I think the deal with Buffalo Trace and why these bottles are so coveted are not that they have the MOST flavor, it’s that they are the only distillery that can deliver THAT flavor. It’s pretty rare that you taste something from an entirely different distillery and are fooled that you are drinking a BT product.
Couldn’t agree more. I just cracked a bottle for the first time yesterday. I would be EXTREMELY disappointed dropping two + benjis for this after taking a sip 😅. Good but that’s it.
I like the idea of making more of one and getting rid of the others. I have a feeling that at this point, no matter how much product goes out to store shelves, idiots will clear the shelves. I don’t think any of these would sit on shelves at SRP.
Drew, you make a lot of good points. Thanks for a great review. The one and only time I bought ETL was around 2009. It was a store pick at ~$35. I thought it was ok but pretty meh compared to my favorite bourbon at the time which was Knob Creek. I do enjoy Blanton's from time to time but only if I can get it in the $50 range. I do think it's superior to ETL. I recently scored a Rock Hill Farms and have had one pour so far; the "neck pour". I have to say, it blows Blanton's out of the water! The proof point is perfect at 50% and it's layered and complex with an amazing finish. I wouldn't pay secondary for it (I don't even know what that price is) but I'd pay $100 or a bit more without hesitating. It's worth the hype, IMO. Plus it has the coolest looking bottle out there...
You hit the nail on the head. It has some good flavors, but I was afraid I caught COVID the first time I tasted it because of how subtle all the notes were. It almost needs subtitles it’s so quiet.
Could not agree more. Old enough to remember when Elmer and Blanton were on the shelf at Bev Mo. They were fine. That’s all. Fine. I do like higher proofs so they really do not hit the mark even at msrp. I will take a ECBP or a Rare Breed over any of them. Except Stagg. That is my weakness. 😁
I think the deal with Buffalo Trace is that they have WAY too many brands concurrently on the market.
Excellent information and choices of good bourbon. I can recall being always able to find Eagle Rare 100 proof at very reasonable prices. Then the proof went down, then the brand became almost impossible to find
Love your take on this. Love how you share your views, I agree with you!
Might have been fun to compare ETL with Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star. Both 90 proof, both mash bill #2. Fun fact: Ancient Age was the name of the distillery sold by Schenley to Age International in 1983, which was right around the time Blanton's was developed. Age International sold the distillery to Sazerac but kept the trademarks on the mash bill #2 brands as you mentioned.
It exists just like the antiques, pappy, and so much more BT makes. So their distributors can push crappy fireball and vodka onto stores in hopes of getting one or two "special bottles". Its a big marketing game. Etl isnt worth much more than 40 bucks but its like a rookie MJ card. Not many around and its a collector item for most. I gave up on it a long time ago and found amazing stuff from other distillers. I only buy BT stuff from the distillery now so i can trade it. Its amazing what some ppl will trade for blantons!
Thanks for your unvarnished honesty .👍🥃
I overpaid for Elmer T Lee the one and only time I had a chance to buy it. Steve's Liquor in Madison had some a few weeks ago but I missed out by a few seconds, I watched someone walk out with the last bottle. I won't dump on it because it is really good but it does remind me of Blantons. Cheers
Buffalo Trace products: amazing at MSRP, maybe $10-15 over still a good buy.
When I could walk into a store and pick up a bottle any time I wanted for $29.99 I bought it often. I had a rotation of it and Elijah Craig 12 as daily drinkers, but I usually. At that price, especially when standard Buffalo Trace was like $22, I thought it was a good deal. But I could also go get Weller 12 and the EC for the same price or less. Every once in a while I'll get a pour in a bar (when it's a reasonable price) and I don't think it's quite as good as it used to be, or maybe my palate has changed.
If I saw one on the shelf at MSRP, I'd still pick it up. But I feel the same way about almost all the Buffalo Trace products. If I don't have one and I see one at MSRP, I'll get it. But I'm not going to pay secondary prices for any of that stuff.
Have never seen a bottle of Elmer unless it was being raffled off. Really would love a bottle of Rock Hill Farms more then all the others some day.
Elmer T. Lee by me is $329.99 now. It is super rare and VERY VERY hard to get. You'll see ER, Blantons on occasion at retail. Hancock's, Rockhill Farms and ETL are no where to be found at retail. That is the similarity I'm seeing.
Could not agree more. So many products that taste..... nearly the same to me. The Weller line is what really gets me. When you have 7 bottles in that lineup and for me when finding just the basic special reserve is a chore. How can you justify adding a "single barrel" option a year or two ago? Infuriates me when you cant even meet demand, and you add another to the line.
I’ve been lucky to get 4 bottles of ETL here in Virginia for MSRP over the last few years. It is not worth the secondary prices at all! It’s good at MSRP for sure.
New sub. The way you handled the commentary at around 6:06 made me seek out the subscribe button 😂
After finally obtaining an Elmer I’d have to agree. Glad to have it but not jonesing for a replacement when it’s gone. Great vid 👍
As always, great video… I’m kinda with you in the idea that it’s ridiculous (my words) that BT products are soooo stinkin hard to find and goes for bonker prices on secondary. It seems to me that the people (at least among people I know) that have ETL, Blantons, or Hancock in their collections are typically not drinking bourbon on the regular. (Which is totally fine! Not throwing shade on them for only drinking once a month or whatnot.) I think that those who don’t drink all the time but have the money to drop will be attracted to the hype and the low proof of those bourbons. But those who drink multiple times a week (if not daily) have graduated past 88-93 proof whiskey and enjoy the complexity of 95-115 proof (or higher). I’ve had several Blantons, ER, and BT bottles of my own, along with tasting Hancock, EHTs, and ETL from local friends… and though they’re good, easy sipping, and definitely sweet and fruit forward bourbons, I don’t reach for them all that often - and def wouldn’t go out of my way to pay secondary for them.
Don’t get me wrong, if I saw any of those bottles on shelves at MSRP, I’d gladly pick one just to add to my collection (and of course, drink them) because, why not?! But I don’t have to chase BT products to find low proof offerings readily available which are cheaper and still delicious (like RR small batch, EC, KC, Wild Turkey, 1792, Bowman products, and Makers offerings).
EH Taylor small batch tastes exactly like Eagle Rare for me..
Couldn't agree more. I searched and searched for Elmer and now that I've purshased three different bottles over time...... unequivocally its a no for me. Its decent and thats what it is. It taste like a 30ish dollar whiskey and at that price I'd buy it again. But, 50 or more is ridiculous for whats in the bottle. Don't waster your time like I did hoping for something incredible.
I found two bottles of ETL for $37 per in the last year, and traded one for a Weller 12. After this video, I am going to trade the other one.
Bro threw on an Evan Williams hat right before cycling through a a bunch of B.T. products. I knew what was coming lol. It's a sharp hat.
Harland from BT interviewed says it’s 9 year old and it’s a rye bourbon
Well said and on point. Thanks for the content.
I always passed your videos, I’m sorry I did! Your explanations and overall knowledge about what you drink floors me! You are quietly entertaining and you really say how it is! Will not pass again!
Finally someone said it…
If you want to predict the future of bourbon read the Elmer Tea leaves..... oooh!
Great video, agree, over hyped keep up the good work! Thanks
Good video - id like to hear your opinion where EHTaylor fits into this
What glasses are you using here?
Those are Aged & Ore tasters
@@DrewPWhiskey Thank you, sir!
Don't feel like you have to apologize for your take on a bourbon. Not only are you entitled, but you're certainly not wrong.
Mash #2 doesn’t do it for me. Just seems… meh. So many better things that are readily available, everyday. Cheers, Drew.
I thought It was droopy whiskey this whole time lol.
That Michter’s hasn’t been touched in like a year lol
Which one? I save the BS Rye for when my dad is around. I nip from the 10's pretty slowly.
..No Whey, ..Whey~!!!
Took me a bit to figure out what you were talking about.
I havent had elmer, but i agree, BT products are too similar to be overhyped
I am soooo over BT Products. There are so many bourbons that are better that you can find. We need to make BT pay for making everything so hard to find by refusing to buy them until they market things fairly.
it exists for the taters
Muuito bom o video! Vi todo ele!
Continue firme com os viideos!
It's not even public yet...
I like you. ❤️
Also, I'm not drunk. You're drunk