Eagle Rare - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - 10 Year
$29.99
Eagle Rare – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 10 Year
Proof: 90
Age: 10 Years
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mash: Unknown – Mash Bill #1
Website: Buffalo Trace Distillery
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Mild Wet Oak. Heavy Caramel/Butterscotch. Light notes of Citrus Orange Zest and Musty Leather. I get almost no spice and it’s very tame for a 10 year.
Taste/Palate: Simple yet very Appealing. Average/Full mouthfeel. It sits on the sweeter side. Caramel and Vanilla out of the gate. Minimal heat. You get a little Sweet Apple and in the midpalate, Mild Oak, and a tiny bit of Leather again.
Finish: There’s nothing surprising in the finish. It stays on the sweeter side and brings in all of the notes from the palate and sits on your taste buds nicely. At the tail end of the finish I do get a bit of Orange Tang. From nose to finish it’s hard to find a better balance, but don’t expect a surprise.
Verdict: Exceptional Balance. Tipping the scale on the sweeter side. It’s not overly complex but you’d be hard pressed to find a more consistent balanced pour. This bottle gives you one of the best value buys in the Bourbon world. If you see one buy one. Maybe you grab a second to keep on reserve due to availability. But, please for the love of everything… Don’t be that guy with 20 of these on your shelf, because you can. This is the entry level Eagle Rare. Their most coveted bottle is Eagle Rare 17 Year which is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. It’s a true Unicorn and I haven’t seen one in person to date minus the time I saw it behind prison bars in the Buffalo Trace Vault. Eagle Rare is a simple and very well balanced bourbon that will appeal to 99% of the bourbon drinkers out there. Its doesn’t deliver everything you’d normally find in a “unicorn”, but there’s a reason why everyone is after it. If someone is getting into Bourbon and you’re trying to convince them it’s not like taking a bottom rail shot you’d see in college, this is what I would offer. If Eagle Rare doesn’t get someone into Bourbon, they likely never will.
MSRP: BUY (But please don’t hoard!) Price Ceiling: $40 (The most I’d pay for this bottle)
The Story: By now you shouldn’t need this review to know to grab Eagle Rare if you see it and you don’t have it. I threw in this review because I wanted to watch Thursday Night Football and enjoy a solid pour without “thinking” too much about it. I decided to put in a review while I was at it. Eagle Rare is one of those bottles that I have had on my shelf consistently since I got into Bourbon. Once it got low I would replace it. Now, Eagle rare is allocated and that started about 4-5 years ago. Crazy that the “low level” offering of the product line is in such high demand, but Buffalo Trace is producing a lot of gems these days. The Bourbon kick is in full swing and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Luckily distilleries are ramping up production. Buffalo Trace purchased land across the river from their current location and were erecting additional Rick Houses. Given the age that Buffalo Trace sits on their juice before bottling it will be a little while before they can HOPEFULLY flood the market again with these “entry level” offerings. Believe it or not, there was a time when Pappy Van Winkle would sit on the shelves without allocation. This time was before the Bourbon Hype hit. I’ve said it before and I’ll state it again. There is give and take in the Bourbon Hype. You now see more distilleries, more interesting blends, more single barrel offerings, different finishes, and more barrel strengths then ever before. With high demand introduces opportunity for others to step in with something different and new.
The Distillery’s Story: If you’re into Bourbon you’ve likely heard of Buffalo Trace so I’ll keep this short. As always visit the link to their page at the top of the review to see their site for more info. In short, Buffalo Trace is consistently producing some of the most consistent high quality and most sought after spirits out there. When I visited Buffalo Trace years ago they were basically GIVING away their Bourbon Cream. It is now almost allocated. If they put out a product it’s now hard to find in most places in the US. If you click on their link and look at their products you’ll likely NOT find it in the store. If you do… let me know. 🙂
I believe what makes their products so great is that their “basic” lines are aged longer than most distillery’s “top” products. Buffalo Trace Bourbon is aged around 8 years and you can usually grab it for less than $30 if you see it. They have bourbon figured out. They put out solid products and it’s no surprise their entire product line is in high demand.
One of the most surprising stories of 2021 was that Buffalo Trace didn’t release George T Stagg as part of their 2021 Antique Collection. The 15 year old barrel yield this year didn’t meet their standards and therefore didn’t release it. Lets be honest, Buffalo Trace could have put in their most recent release that it didn’t meet their standards and it tasted like dog turds, but still put it out… And it would sell out in seconds. This to me says that BT cares more about quality than chasing the dollar sign. Props!
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Solid. It hit all of what’s expected.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Nose, Palate, and Finish I rank regardless of cost. Value (recent addition) is ranked based on taste vs price.
Reviewer: David S
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