Eagle Rare 10 Year, Single Barrel- Ky Straight Bourbon

Bourbon Review #18: Eagle Rare 10 Year, Single Barrel- KY Straight Bourbon

Category: “Go-To”
Price: $32
Availability: Year Round-Everywhere.        
Proof: 90, 45% avb

Age: 10 Years Old.

Mashbill: Buffalo Trace #1 Mashbill      

Distillery: Buffalo Trace- Frankfort, Kentucky

    

     Eagle Rare is a 10 year-old, single barrel, Kentucky straight Bourbon. It’s the first "go to" bourbon that I’ve reviewed utilizing the #1 Buffalo trace mashbill. This mashbill contains a lower percentage of rye when compared to their #2 mashbill. For comparison, I’ll list a few examples of each:

B.T. #1 Mashbill: Buffalo Trace (Standard Label), Eagle Rare, George T Stag, Colonel E.H. Taylor, etcetera. 

B.T. #2 Mashbill: Rock Hill Farms, Elmer T Lee, Blanton’s, Ancient Age, etcetera.

     For the record, B.T. also has straight rye (Sazarac and Thomas Handy) and wheated bourbon (W.L. Weller and Van Winkle) mashbills.

     Eagle Rare 10 year has placed highly at a number of distilled spirit competitions. It received a string of gold and double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Between 2005 and 2010, it was given an above-average score of 92 by the Beverage Testing Institute. In 2013, Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon was awarded the inaugural Bourbon Trophy at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in the United Kingdom.

     Buffalo Trace also puts out a 17-year-old version of Eagle Rare for their annual, limited release “Antique Collection”. It’s basically the same expression as the 10-year. It’s also offered at the same (90) proof. The only difference is it’s seven years older than it’s little brother.

     

     Overall: this is a nice, solid bourbon. However, in my opinion, it's not exceptional. For about the same price, I could pick up a bottle of Elmer T Lee or Four Roses Single barrel. I happen to personally prefer both over the Eagle Rare. It lacks luster, particularly in complexity. Again, it’s not a bad bourbon! It’s just not my favorite style of bourbon.

     Forward in the mouth there's a sweet corn roundedness. This is followed by some mid-palate notes of caramel, and a small hint of orange zest. The citrus note flows into the finish mixing with bright, pungent oak, and a trace of vanilla. In my opinion, the biggest note is the oak. This expression is heavy on wood, particularly on the back-end of the pallet. The finish is moderate in length. The viscosity is mid-range. The Colonel’s score is between 6 and 7 out of 10.