Eagle Rare 10 Year Single Barrel

Next up in my exploration of Buffalo Trace products is a sample from a single barrel Eagle Rare selected by Drammers. Upon nosing, it begins sweet with a touch of tartness, featuring notes of honeydew, chopped Granny Smith apples, and candy corn. This is followed by subtle earthy hints of lightly roasted espresso beans and chocolate-covered candied pecans, then notes of mandarin oranges and cherry cough drops. It evolves into light spices like spearmint, ginger, and cloves, alongside a faint dusty barnyard aroma with minimal alcohol burn. The palate offers a thin to medium body, starting sweet with a slight sourness, revealing notes of honeydew, diced Granny Smith apples, and candy corn. Mild earthy qualities emerge, with spicy mocha, black peppercorns, and candied pecans, followed by mandarin oranges and cherry cough syrup. It then shifts to light spices of spearmint, ginger, and cloves, accompanied by a slightly bitter black tea note and minimal alcohol burn. The finish is of moderate length, presenting milk chocolate-covered candied pecans, cinnamon apples cooked in butter, cherry cough syrup, cloves, ginger, and dusty barnyard scents. This is a highly enjoyable bourbon. The aroma entices with a balance of sweet and tart citrus, light earthy notes of chocolate, nuts, and coffee, and very subtle rye spices. These qualities carry over to the palate without becoming overly bitter or spicy, concluding with a harmonious blend of earthy, sweet, and light spicy notes. The primary drawback is Buffalo Trace's decision to bottle this at 45% ABV, a level I consistently find too low for their products. This dilutes the flavors, and it could have been an exceptional spirit at 50% ABV or higher. I hope Buffalo Trace eventually releases an Eagle Rare Single Barrel Barrel Proof version, which I believe would elevate it significantly, similar to what Jack Daniels achieved with their bourbon. At $50, this doesn't seem particularly worthwhile in my opinion, and I would rather allocate a bit more to acquire a Russell's Reserve single barrel or an OF 1920.

Aroma: Cherries, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cola, Oak, Nutmeg. Taste: Oak, Pepper, ethyl alcohol. The aroma is incredibly misleading, and this is another disappointing release from Buffalo Trace. I don't understand how this bourbon bottle has 4 stars. The following for this distillery is like a cult. I always hear people say about this bottle that "It's good for the money!" It's not good at all; if a spirit tastes strongly of ethyl alcohol, it's poorly made. Period.

Pleasant oak notes with a touch of vanilla and some tobacco present, creating a really great aroma. The taste is very nice. While sometimes I perceive a thin quality similar to ER, this particular serving is rich and matches the aroma. The finish isn't long, but it has a hint of cherry. Eagle Rare can be one of the best pours of the night, or sometimes quite thin. The variation from pour to pour is significant. This serving was excellent and exactly what I hope for from every ER pour.

Sweet hints of spices like cinnamon, pepper, basil, and cloves. Sweet with hints of caramel. Mild new, unpolished leather on the finish, which is absolutely fantastic, with a light smokiness and oakiness in both the taste and lingering finish. Truly one of my favorites. I completely understand why this is in high demand and requested so often. Possibly one of my all-time favorites. Likely the smoothest whiskey I have ever had.

Aroma: Extremely rich in caramel Honey Molasses Generally sweet Palate: Vanilla Smooth Very smooth Floral Spice Honey Extremely caramel-like Oak Finish: Medium Spice Oak Caramel Honey Overall: the best one encountered yet!

Excellent go-to daily bourbon. Popularity has made it harder to find; used to be able to pick up for $30 almost anywhere, good luck now. Spicy, smooth, light bite, earthy solid bourbon.