Eagle Rare, 17 yo. (d: 1990,b: 2008)
 
Style & Origin
styleAmerican Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
region Kentucky
age17 yo.
strength45% (90 proof)
distilled1990
bottled2008
availabilitysold out
brand Eagle Rare
distillery Buffalo Trace
Bar Log
Wed., May. 13, 2009bottle #211 donated by Martin Costello
Fri., Sep. 11, 2009blind tasting of bottle #211
Fri., Mar. 5, 2010bottle #211 killed
Fri., Jan. 7, 2011bottle #368 added to stock
Wed., Mar. 23, 2011bottle #368 killed
Release Notes
Outrageously smooth and sophisticated, elegant bourbon. Only the very finest spirit can withstand ageing for seventeen sweltering Kentucky summers and still retain this level of quality.
The Whisky Exchange
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Big and bold on the nose, with vanilla, wood adhesive and almonds, plus a whiff of leather.
Very smooth on the palate, full-bodied and fruity, with rye and a hint of mint.
The finish comprises vanilla fudge and a final kick of spice.
Rating: 3/5
Whisky-Pages.com
Regular Tasting Results
# Taster Date Nose Taste Finish Balance Total
1 Alex Gurevich 5 4 4 6 19
2 Andrew Pilgrim 3 3 3 4 13
3 Brent Watkins 9 7 6 5 27
4 David Drell 7 7 6 7 27
5 Doug Seiden 7 4 3 4 18
6 Josh Richards 5 4 3 3 15
7 Matt Schmidt 7 5 4 4 20
8 Stan Haptas 4 6 7 6 23
9 Stuart Campbell 4 5 5 5 19
10 Tom Owens 7 5 7 5 24
Nose: grain - sweet - candy-corn. Taste: sweet and spicy up front. It's ok, not great. Finish: not much, some sweet after-taste.
Alex Gurevich
Not Scotch! It's a bourbon.
Andrew Pilgrim
Bright, sweet nose - sherry. Sharp, harsh flavor - alchohol burn. Long, hot finish.
Doug Seiden
Nose smells sweet and sharp. Taste is harsh. No good. Not a fan.
Josh Richards
Sweet, strong nose. Alchohol is a little ovre-powering. Taste is harsh but drinkable. Finish lingers a little but not that great. Some kind of bourbon.
Matt Schmidt
The taste of caramel and rubbing alchohol. I know I should probably like this, but well, I don't. Finish is the strongest part.
Stan Haptas
Candy nose and taste. Sharp and alchoholy. Flavour burst in middle of mouth with aggressive burn at back of mouth. Not much to balance. Two-dimensional.
Stuart Campbell
Smell is nice and sweet. Caramely - Initial taste is a bit strong when compared to the sweet smell. Finish is nice.
Tom Owens
The Brand: Eagle Rare
Established: 1975
Silent since: False
Address:
→ website
Currently, two basic varieties of Eagle Rare are produced. The first is aged for ten years in charred oak barrels, and bottled at 90-proof. It is a single barrel bourbon. The whiskey from each aging barrel is bottled individually, none of it is blended. This creates a unique flavor for each barrel. The second variety is aged seventeen years in charred oak barrels as part of its "Antique Collection". It is also 90-proof, but aged for seventeen years, much longer than most bourbons.
The Sazerac Company, a New Orleans-based producer and importer and the parent company of five distilleries, acquired Eagle Rare from Seagram in March 1989. Sazerac"s Kentucky distillery was then known as George T. Stagg Distillery. Today the distillery is known as Buffalo Trace.
The original 101-proof ten-year old non-single barrel bourbon has been discontinued as of March 2005.
Eagle Rare was originally a 101-proof ten-year old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey (not single-barrel) from Seagram. Introduced in 1975, Eagle Rare was among the last new bourbon brands introduced prior to current era of "small-batch bourbons". Eagle Rare has been distilled, bottled and/or marketed by a number of companies, including the Old Prentice Distillery of Frankfort, KY.
from Wikipedia
The Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Established: 1773
Silent since: False
Address: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY 40601
→ website
The following spirits are produced by Buffalo Trace Distillery: Ancient Age, Blanton"s, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Elmer T. Lee, George T. Stagg, Hancock"s President"s Reserve, Old Charter, McAfee"s Benchmark, Rock Hill Farms, Van Winkle, W.L. Weller, Rain Vodka, Sazerac Rye and Thomas H. Handy Rye.
Buffalo Trace Bourbon has performed extremely well in international spirit ratings competitions. It received a Double Gold Rating, for example, at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2009.
In 1972 Gary Gayheart became the master distiller. After his retirement in 2005, he was succeeded by Harlen Wheatley.
While Buffalo Trace Distillery is mainly known for its bourbon, it also produces other spirits such as rye whiskey and vodka. "Buffalo Trace" is the flagship bourbon made by Buffalo Trace Distillery. It was introduced in August 1999, two months after the distillery changed its name from the George T. Stagg Distillery. Buffalo Trace is made from corn, rye, and barley malt, and aged in charred oak barrels. Approximately 25-30 barrels are selected and mixed before bottling. It has won numerous awards since its introduction.
The distillery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under its old name, George T. Stagg Distillery.
Records indicate that distilling started on the site that is now the Buffalo Trace Distillery sometime before 1773 by Hancock Lee, who died in 1776. The oldest building on the site, the Riverside house, was constructed in 1792 by Commodore Richard Taylor and is still standing today. The first true distillery was constructed in 1812 by Harrison Blanton. In 1870 the distillery was purchased by Edmund H. Taylor and given its first name, the O.F.C. Distillery. Taylor sold the distillery eight years later to George T. Stagg along with the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. This second distillery was sold within the year to James Graham in order to add more land to the O.F.C. Distillery. In 1886, Stagg installed steam heating in the storage warehouses, the first climate controlled warehouse for aging whiskey in the nation.
Buffalo Trace Distillery is a distillery located in Frankfort, Kentucky. Since 1870 it has been known by several names, including most notably, the George T. Stagg Distillery and O.F.C. Distillery. Its flagship bourbon, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey was introduced in August 1999. Buffalo Trace Distillery stands as the oldest distilling site in the United States. Located on what was once an ancient buffalo crossing on the banks of the Kentucky River in Franklin County, the distillery"s namesake is a tribute to the American bison that created paths followed by America"s early pioneers. The Sazerac Company, a New Orleans, Louisiana-based producer and importer purchased the distillery in 1992 and is now the parent company of Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Trivia:
  • The Buffalo Trace Distillery is home to the world"s smallest bonded storage warehouse, Warehouse V. This warehouse only stores a single barrel of whiskey at a time.
from Wikipedia
The Owner: Sazerac
Established: 1869
Silent since: False
Address: Sazerac Company, Inc., 803 Jefferson Highway, P.O. BOX 52821, New Orleans, LA 70121
→ website
Sazerac produces and/or distributes the following brands: Dr. McGillicuddy"s Mentholmint Schnapps, French Kiss Vanilla Liqueur, Fireball Spiced Whisky, Rain Vodka, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Van Winkle Family Reserve, Blanton"s Old Charter, W.L. Weller, Elmer T. Lee, Hancock"s Reserve, Rock Hill Farms, McAfee"s, Ancient Age Crown Russe Vodka, Dobra Vodka, Mims Vodka, Mikolai Vodka, Taaka Vodka, Taaka Platinum Vodka, Crown Russe Gun, Legendre Mint Gin, Mims Gun, Nikolai Gin, Taaka Gin, Rich & Rare Canadian Whisky, Royal Canadian Whisky, Canadian Hunter Whisky, James Foxe Canadian Whisky, Glenfarclas, John Handy Scotch, Legacy Scotch Whisky, Kentucky Dale Whisky, Sir Malcolm Scotch, Tijuana Tequila, Tina Tequila, Torada Tequila, Ron Pontalba Rum, Amaretto Di Padrino, Carstairs, Diesel Natural Grain Spirits, Feeney"s Irish Cream Liqueur, Herbsaint Anis, Peychaud"s Bitters, Praline Liqueur, P-51 Cachaca, Torada Triple Sec, Eagle Rare, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy.
In 2009, the Sazerac Company of New Orleans purchased the Tom Moore distillery and many brands owned by Constellation Spirits (formerly Barton Brands).
After the drink, there was the bar. The cocktail immediately spread in popularity at the city"s finest coffee houses, which was the term for drinking establishments during the mid-1800s. However, the cocktail is most strongly associated with the wildly popular Sazerac Coffee House located on Exchange Alley. In 1850, the owner Sewell Taylor institutionalized the drink at his coffee house by using only Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy, which he imported and sold exclusively. The Sazerac cocktail received its name from this coffee house, where it was most often imbibed.
From the bar, a company was born. In 1869, Thomas H. Handy purchased the Sazerac Coffeehouse and began to acquire and market brands of liquor. He bought out the rights to Peychaud"s Bitters. In the 1890s his company began to bottle and market the Sazerac cocktail, now made with whiskey instead of brandy. In addition, the company operated the Sazerac Bar on Royal Street. Later, Handy"s former secretary, C. J. O"Reilly, chartered the Sazerac Company. Ever since (except for a stint as a delicatessen and grocery vendor during Prohibition), the Sazerac Company has distilled an ever-increasing line of fine spirits.
Before there was a company, there was a drink. Antoine Peychaud, a Creole immigrant, operated a pharmacy on the French Quarter"s Royal Street in 1838. With his background as an apothecary, he was a natural mixologist. His friends would gather for late-night revelry at his pharmacy. Peychaud would mix brandy, absinthe and a dash of his secret bitters for his guests. Later this quaff would come to be known as the Sazerac.
from Sazerac.com, Wikipedia
The Owner: Sazerac
Established: 1869
Silent since: False
Address: Sazerac Company, Inc., 803 Jefferson Highway, P.O. BOX 52821, New Orleans, LA 70121
→ website
Sazerac produces and/or distributes the following brands: Dr. McGillicuddy"s Mentholmint Schnapps, French Kiss Vanilla Liqueur, Fireball Spiced Whisky, Rain Vodka, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Van Winkle Family Reserve, Blanton"s Old Charter, W.L. Weller, Elmer T. Lee, Hancock"s Reserve, Rock Hill Farms, McAfee"s, Ancient Age Crown Russe Vodka, Dobra Vodka, Mims Vodka, Mikolai Vodka, Taaka Vodka, Taaka Platinum Vodka, Crown Russe Gun, Legendre Mint Gin, Mims Gun, Nikolai Gin, Taaka Gin, Rich & Rare Canadian Whisky, Royal Canadian Whisky, Canadian Hunter Whisky, James Foxe Canadian Whisky, Glenfarclas, John Handy Scotch, Legacy Scotch Whisky, Kentucky Dale Whisky, Sir Malcolm Scotch, Tijuana Tequila, Tina Tequila, Torada Tequila, Ron Pontalba Rum, Amaretto Di Padrino, Carstairs, Diesel Natural Grain Spirits, Feeney"s Irish Cream Liqueur, Herbsaint Anis, Peychaud"s Bitters, Praline Liqueur, P-51 Cachaca, Torada Triple Sec, Eagle Rare, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy.
In 2009, the Sazerac Company of New Orleans purchased the Tom Moore distillery and many brands owned by Constellation Spirits (formerly Barton Brands).
After the drink, there was the bar. The cocktail immediately spread in popularity at the city"s finest coffee houses, which was the term for drinking establishments during the mid-1800s. However, the cocktail is most strongly associated with the wildly popular Sazerac Coffee House located on Exchange Alley. In 1850, the owner Sewell Taylor institutionalized the drink at his coffee house by using only Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy, which he imported and sold exclusively. The Sazerac cocktail received its name from this coffee house, where it was most often imbibed.
From the bar, a company was born. In 1869, Thomas H. Handy purchased the Sazerac Coffeehouse and began to acquire and market brands of liquor. He bought out the rights to Peychaud"s Bitters. In the 1890s his company began to bottle and market the Sazerac cocktail, now made with whiskey instead of brandy. In addition, the company operated the Sazerac Bar on Royal Street. Later, Handy"s former secretary, C. J. O"Reilly, chartered the Sazerac Company. Ever since (except for a stint as a delicatessen and grocery vendor during Prohibition), the Sazerac Company has distilled an ever-increasing line of fine spirits.
Before there was a company, there was a drink. Antoine Peychaud, a Creole immigrant, operated a pharmacy on the French Quarter"s Royal Street in 1838. With his background as an apothecary, he was a natural mixologist. His friends would gather for late-night revelry at his pharmacy. Peychaud would mix brandy, absinthe and a dash of his secret bitters for his guests. Later this quaff would come to be known as the Sazerac.
from Sazerac.com, Wikipedia