Elmer T. Lee 40th Anniversary Bourbon Goes Uncut and Unfiltered: How to Enter the Drawing to Buy One

Buffalo Trace Distillery tells BourbonBlog.com is celebrating 40 years of Elmer T. Lee Bourbon with something the brand has never released before: an uncut and unfiltered Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon.

The new Elmer T. Lee 40th Anniversary Edition arrives in 2026 as a limited release bottled directly from individual barrels at natural barrel proof. Depending on the barrel, proofs range from 124.8 to 138.6 proof.

And unlike many highly allocated Buffalo Trace releases, enthusiasts have a specific way to try to get one.

Buffalo Trace is using the release to launch a new online Bottle Draw, with winners receiving the opportunity to purchase a bottle at the distillery for a suggested retail price of $99.99.

How to Enter the Elmer T. Lee Bottle Drawing

Registration is open from 10 a.m. ET on September 15 through 11:59 p.m. ET on September 17, 2026.

Entries are limited to one per person, and Buffalo Trace says entering earlier does not improve your odds.

An independent partner will randomly select names on September 22, with all entrants notified of the results.

Those selected will then have from September 28 through October 11 to visit Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort during normal visitor hours and purchase their bottle.

Enter the official Buffalo Trace bottle drawing here.

Importantly, Buffalo Trace says this new drawing system is in addition to — not a replacement for — the distillery’s existing daily bottle rotation program.

What Makes the Elmer T. Lee 40th Anniversary Edition Different?

The important part of this release isn’t simply an anniversary label.

For the first time in the history of Elmer T. Lee Bourbon, the whiskey is being presented uncut and unfiltered.

That means it has not been proofed down to the familiar strength of standard Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel and is presented without chill filtration.

Buffalo Trace says the concept gives bourbon drinkers an experience closer to the way Elmer T. Lee himself would have tasted whiskey directly from a barrel while evaluating selections.

Each barrel will naturally be a little different.

Across the release, Buffalo Trace describes notes of apricot, almond, vanilla, toasted coconut and honeysuckle, followed by a rich palate with crème brûlée-like sweetness and a long finish of toasted oak and baking spice.

At 124.8 to 138.6 proof, this is an entirely different proposition from the classic Elmer T. Lee most bourbon drinkers know.

Why Elmer T. Lee Matters to Bourbon History

Elmer T. Lee joined what was then the George T. Stagg Distillery in 1949, following his service during World War II and graduation from the University of Kentucky.

He eventually became Master Distiller and played a major role in modernizing the operation.

His largest contribution to the modern premium bourbon movement came in 1984 with the introduction of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, widely credited as the world’s first commercially marketed single-barrel bourbon.

Two years later, in 1986, Buffalo Trace introduced Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon in his honor.

Forty years later, that namesake whiskey has become one of the more difficult regularly produced Buffalo Trace bourbons to find at retail.

“Elmer’s legacy is something we feel and celebrate every day at the Distillery, not just in the bourbon we make, but in the way we approach our work,” Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said in announcing the release.

Other Rare Elmer T. Lee Releases

The new 40th Anniversary Edition joins a very short list of special Elmer T. Lee releases.

Previous commemorative bottles have included the 90th Birthday Edition in 2009, a 2013 Commemorative Bottle, and the 100 Year Tribute released in 2019.

The 2026 version may ultimately stand apart because it doesn’t merely commemorate Elmer Lee — it changes the way the whiskey itself is presented.

For bourbon enthusiasts accustomed to hunting Elmer T. Lee at its traditional bottling strength, getting the whiskey at natural barrel proof offers an entirely new look at one of Buffalo Trace’s best-known single barrels.

At a suggested retail price of $99.99, demand for the inaugural drawing should be significant.

The bigger story may also be Buffalo Trace’s new drawing system itself. If the program becomes a regular route for future special releases, it could give enthusiasts another way to pursue highly allocated bottles without having to be standing in a gift-shop line on a particular morning.

For this first drawing, though, the bottle at the center of it is one bourbon collectors have never had before: Elmer T. Lee, straight from the barrel.