Review 151: Eagle Rare 10

Here is yet another whisky made at the Buffalo Trace distillery. This one is called Eagle Rare and carries a 10 year age statement. There is also an annual release of Eagle Rare 17 year old, which part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, along with George T Stagg, Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye, Sazerac Rye 18, and William Larue Weller. The BTAC whiskies I've tried have been excellent, but most standard Buffalo Trace products are pretty good as well. That includes the standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Eagle Rare 10 seems to be positioned as the next step up in the lineup, so hopefully it behaves as such! Oh, Eagle Rare is also a single barrel bourbon, though I have no idea which barrel this sample is from.

Eagle Rare 10

Color: Amber +2 (Almost 3!)

ABV: 45%

Aroma Neat:
Rich Oak, Burnt Toffee/Caramel, Clean Barrel Char, Thick French Vanilla Cream, Marzipan/Honeyed Walnuts, Sticky Muscovado Sugar/Molasses, Cooked Corn (creamed too), Cooked Cereal Grains (hot oatmeal).

Robustly oaked and charred at first, but in a welcoming way. Definitely not a challenging nose, yet still characterful. Becomes very corny and a little grainy after a few minutes in the glass. I even though I smelled creamed corn at one point.

Aroma Water:
Caramel, Brown Sugar/Molasses (Jamacian Rum), Cooked Corn/Grains, Honeyed Walnuts, Butter Cream, French Vanilla, Shaved Dutch Chocolate, Roast Coffee Beans (slightly), Tobacco/Dried Mint Leaves (slightly),

Darkly sweet and syrupy in away that reminds of heavier, older rums. As is often the case, water seems to have peeled away some of the wood influence and let other elements take the lead.

Taste Neat:
Rich Brown Sugar (slight molasses), Rich Oak, Clean Barrel Char (not ashy), Nutty Honey, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Burnt Graham.

A very bourbony bourbon. This hits all the typical notes of what I except in bourbon as an archetypal style. It does so while remaining, in my opinion, very accessible. Not too sweet either!

Taste Water:
Buttery Vanilla, Toasted Oak, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Barrel Char, Coffee/Warm Dark Chocolate, Cola, Candied/Caramelized Nuts (almonds, walnuts).

Less darky sweet than neat, but with a very rich buttery character. Still satisfying!

Finish:
Syrupy Brown Sugar, Nutmeg, Honeyed Black Tea (mostly honey), Charred Wood.

Warming, coating, and quite enjoyable. Medium duration.

Conclusion:
Classic bourbon nose, though more corny than many. I think I may use this an example of "typical" bourbon.

Robust palate that strikes good balance between spice, oak, chocolate, and char.

Warming, thick finish.

Rating: 86/100

A solid bourbon. There's not much more to say! Of course, given this is single barrel, there's bound to be more variation than with most brands. I wouldn't worry too much, though. This is an affordable bourbon and Buffalo Trace is a very consistent distillery. The risk is low!

Josh