Review: Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

You'll have a hard time finding a better priced single-barrel whiskey with or without an age statement. The fact that Eagle Rare (produced by Buffalo trace) continues to offer a readily available single-barrel product with a 10-year age statement is pretty impressive. Unfortunately the bottle doesn't offer any information regarding which barrel or warehouse the product came from. So if you find a bottle you love and want to get as many as you can from that barrel or area of the warehouse you're out of luck.

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon - Tasting Notes

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon

Nose: A little sweet and musty. Initially a lot of smoke and leather but as it opens up there is a strong presence of orange that makes this quite enjoyable.

Palate: First sip comes across very sweet and oily, highlighting the orange on the palate. A couple more sips show some depth though - oak, leather, even a hint of pine. Many reviews call out cocoa or caramel but I am not getting much of this (could be barrel variation, could be my awful palate). I remember previous sips of this being very leather & smoke forward, so this pour has been quite a pleasant surprise and change of pace.

Finish: Fairly sweet and fruity, with light spice and oak underneath. The finish lingers for a good minute or two.

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Price: ~$30


Honestly, I was prepared to rank Eagle Rare in the high-7 to low-8 range based on previous pours. Not sure if my palate has changed or giving the bottle a bit of air has made a difference but I really found today's pour quite enjoyable. What previously seemed too heavy on oak and leather suddenly has a much better balance of flavors. As a result Eagle Rare might become a regular on the shelf if today's tasting proves to be the norm.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon Rating: 8.6/10