Elmer T Lee and Elijah Craig 18 Reviews-Comparison

Today we review Elmer T Lee Single Barrel and Elijah Craig 18 Year Old Single Barrel. As per usual, I had no idea what whiskeys were being tasting to avoid any pre-existing biases. In this case, it was a good thing as I am a big fan of Elmer T Lee and merely lukewarm on the EC 18.

Elijah Craig 18 & Elmer T Lee

Elmer T Lee Review

Spicy nose, a little vanilla, and a little oak though you have to dig for it. After sitting for a bit the nose reminded me a bit of a Fig Newton. The palate is dominated by spice, not overpowering but a nice, persistent spice. Fairly light in the mouth with a hint of wood and sugar as well. Letting it sit for a few minutes helps to bring out some of the citrus and sweet notes. The finish is relatively smooth as the spice remains from start-to-finish.

Elijah Craig 18 Review

Very distinct nose. Smells like a mix of leather, chocolate and oak. Very soft flavor with some spice on the first sip, though following sips reveal a bit of sweetness. Lingering chocolate and leather on the finish. This one varied a lot for me from first sip to last, kind of all over the place... though this may be more due to my palate than anything else.

The Winner - Elmer T Lee

Before I knew which was which I gave a slight nod to the Lee, though it wasn't the landslide I would have predicted had I known what I was tasting.

I've thought of the EC18 as much too smoky and leathery, but tasting it blind revealed a much softer, sweeter palate than I recalled. It still had an overpowering nose and finish for my tastes. However, I thought the same thing about the William Larue Weller the first time I tried it and now it is among my favorites.

The Elmer T. Lee had a little more spice than I typically associate with it, but as it uses the Buffalo Trace high-rye mashbill, this makes more sense in hindsight. Still a great bourbon based on its somewhat constant availability and reasonable price of under $35.

Follow this link to see my full Elmer T. Lee review