Elmer T. Lee, Rock Hill Farms & Stagg Whiskey Bundle 750ml

This three-bottle set climbs the Buffalo Trace proof ladder rung by rung, moving from an elegant 90 proof single barrel through a robust 100 proof pour to an uncut barrel-proof heavyweight. Together, Elmer T. Lee, Rock Hill Farms and Stagg map how one Frankfort distillery expresses the same craft at three very different intensities.

Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon honors the master distiller who created Blanton's in 1984 and effectively invented the single barrel category. Bottled at 90 proof from barrels selected to match the style Lee himself favored, it drinks with balance and grace: clover honey, vanilla and old oak in a composed, medium-bodied frame. Allocation is tight, and empty shelves where it should sit are the norm.

Rock Hill Farms raises the stakes. A 100 proof single barrel bourbon presented in an embossed decanter-style bottle, it layers dark caramel, spiced fruit and tobacco over a firmer oak backbone, a dressed-up sipper long treasured in export markets and notoriously scarce at home. Stagg then removes the guardrails entirely: bottled uncut and unfiltered straight from the barrel, its proof varies by batch, typically landing near 130, delivering dense waves of dark chocolate, brown sugar and rye spice.

Assembling any one of these three usually takes patience and luck; landing all of them together is rarer still. As a gift for a serious bourbon enthusiast or the backbone of a tasting flight that demonstrates what proof actually does to flavor, this trio covers the spectrum in three pours.

• Size: Three 750ml bottles
• Proof: Elmer T. Lee 90 (45% ABV); Rock Hill Farms 100 (50% ABV); Stagg varies by batch, near 130
• Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Origin: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
• Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
• Style: Two single barrel bourbons and one uncut, unfiltered barrel-proof bourbon
• Composition: Corn, rye and malted barley mash bills
• Cask: New charred American oak barrels
• Tasting Notes: Honey and vanilla; caramel and tobacco; dark chocolate, brown sugar and intense rye spice