SAZERAC BARREL SELECT CONTRIBUTES ELMER T. LEE SINGLE BARREL FOR CHARITY PROGRAM BENEFITTING ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
Winner receives a VIP Elmer T. Lee barrel select experience, one-night stay in Stagg Lodge, and more
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sazerac Barrel Select (SBS), Sazerac’s single barrel release program, is thrilled to announce the Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes, offering bourbon enthusiasts the exclusive opportunity to select a barrel of the limited Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, with all donations, less required transactions fees, benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Inclusive of the SBS’ signature VIP selection experience – typically reserved only for SBS members – the sweepstakes is open to the public, with each $100 donation serving as one entry to win.
“Elmer T. Lee is often called the ‘father’ of single barrel bourbon and for good reason – he’s the creator of both Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon and the original Sazerac Barrel Select program,” said Diego Bianchi, Sazerac Barrel Select General Manager. “The last single barrel of Elmer T. Lee was selected 10 years ago, and fans have requested this rare barrel offering since; some even reminisce about selecting barrels alongside Elmer. This is a fantastic opportunity to offer this brand to single barrel enthusiasts, and we are proud to once again support St. Jude.”
The randomly selected winner of the Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes will receive:
- A one-night stay in Stagg Lodge and VIP, behind-the-scenes tour and private catered lunch at Buffalo Trace Distillery accommodating the winner and up to 7 guests (age 21 or older);
- A private barrel selection experience to thieve, taste and select their barrel alongside Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, who was trained by Elmer himself after joining the Buffalo Trace Distillery team in 1995;
- $18,000 cash prize, which may be used to purchase the bottles yielded from the selected barrel with personalized medallions
“I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with Elmer both at work and away from work, often listening to his many stories about the industry,” said Harlen Wheatley, Master Distiller, Buffalo Trace Distillery. “It was a privilege to work with Elmer, and I understood that when I was with him. I’m proud to call Elmer a friend, mentor, and trusted advisor, and I’m honored to continue sharing his legacy through this charity sweepstakes program.”
The Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital begins at 8am EST on September 8, 2025; all entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on September 30, 2025. Entrants will receive one entry into the sweepstakes for every $100 donation made through the registration site. The winner will be randomly drawn and notified via phone and email the week of October 6, 2025. To register and view the full official rules, please visit www.SazeracBarrelSelect.com/drawing.
SBS is a membership program offering small groups and individuals the opportunity to hand-select barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery and other Sazerac distilleries. In 2024, SBS partnered with St. Jude for the Blanton’s Gold Charity Sweepstakes and raised more than $1 million. In recent years, SBS has worked with multiple charitable organizations to raise more than $4 million for a number of great causes. Though the Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes is open to the public, SBS encourages those who are not members to sign up and participate in the quarterly drawings. SBS membership is free and those interested can sign up here.
Widely considered a 20th-century bourbon pioneer, Elmer T. Lee joined the George T. Stagg Distillery, known today as Buffalo Trace Distillery, in 1949 as a maintenance engineer, quickly rising through the ranks to become Plant Manager and Master Distiller. He led the Distillery into a new era of modernization and, in 1984, introduced Blanton’s—the world’s first single-barrel bourbon. Just two years later, following his retirement, Elmer was honored with his own namesake release: Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, hand-selected and bottled to meet the exacting standards he established. Perfectly balanced and rich, this single barrel bourbon has a nose that brings notes of clove, vanilla, and old leather. The palate offers balances fruit, honey and vanilla with a light spiciness.
For any questions regarding the Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes, please email charity@sazerac.com.
About Sazerac
With over 400 years of history, Sazerac is one of the world’s largest distilled spirits companies. Now in the fourth generation of the current family ownership, Sazerac strives each day to bring the finest spirits to consumers and communities around the world.
Over 500 of the world’s most extraordinary brands are part of the Sazerac portfolio, including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, Weller, The Last Drop Distillers, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Southern Comfort, Wheatley Vodka, Meyers’s Rum, White X Cognac, Sazerac de Forge Cognac, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, and many more.
Sazerac is also the steward of many fine distilleries internationally, including Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, United States; Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac in Cognac, France; Paul John Distillery in Goa, India; and Lough Gill Distillery in County Sligo, Ireland. Additional impressive locations can be found in New Orleans, Montréal, London, Cork and Sydney, to name a few.
To learn more visit www.sazerac.com.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
No purchase or donation necessary to enter or win. Purchasing a product will not improve your chances of winning. Must be legal resident of 50 U.S. or D.C, excluding NY, age 21 or older as of date of entry. Registration begins at 8AM EST on September 8, 2025, and ends at 11:59PM EST on September 30, 2025 To enter, and for complete official rules including eligibility and full prize description, scan the QR code or directly visit www.SazeracBarrelSelect.com/drawing. Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of prize award: $18,000. Odds of winning based upon number of eligible entries received. No alcoholic beverage is part of any prize award. Void wherever prohibited or restricted by law. SPONSOR: Sazerac Company, Inc., Louisville, KY.
