Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Proof: 90
Age: 10 Yrs
Mashbill: Undisclosed (Mashbill #1)
BACKGROUND: Eagle Rare is one of the regular releases from Buffalo Trace. Eagle Rare was originally introduced in 1975 by Seagram as a 101 proof 10 year old bourbon whiskey. Sazerac acquired Eagle Rare from Seagram in March 1989 and was distilled by then distillery George T. Stagg Distillery which is now known as Buffalo Trace. It used to have a single barrel denotation but due to the fact that there is potential of some whiskey from another barrel being put in each bottle they have since removed the single barrel from the label. Eagle Rare has the regular 90 proof 10 year bourbon, a 17 year Buffalo Trace Antique Collection annual release that is back at the original 101 proof and a periodic Double Eagle Very Rare which is a 20 year old release.
NOSE: The nose has a prevalent scent of ethanol, some light spice, citrus (almost an orange peel scent), and traces of honey. The nose is surprisingly light and simple which for the age I would not have expected. (16/25)
PALATE: On the sip you are welcomed with oak, vanilla, and light caramel that lie on a bed of ethanol. There are some traces of charred oak, white pepper, and brown sugar. It is a very simple yet sweet palate. (30/40)
FINISH: The finish is medium in length with flavors of oak, white pepper, and dried fruits (I get cherry most prominently) which is all that remains from the sweetness on the nose and sip. The finish is the best part in my opinion. (20/25)
VALUE: With an SRP of $30 this is definitely a great bourbon. To get a 10 yr age stated bourbon for less than $45 is great. Sadly, this is marked up all over the place and I see people spending way above $50. I wouldn't spend more than $35. (8/10)
Overall: 75/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: People tend to go crazy over Eagle Rare. I think it is an okay bourbon that has great value at SRP but is often marked up. It is simple and sweet and comes from the sought after BT distillery. I think this comes in last place for 10 yr budget bourbons behind Russell's Reserve 10 yr and Henry McKenna 10 yr.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Russell's Reserve 10 Year Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Still Austin's The Musician Straight Bourbon
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Asbury Park Distilling Straight Bourbon
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Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
