Eagle Rare Aged 15 Years

Discovered on a dusty shelf in a liquor store. Information about it is scarce; it appears to be one of the few thousand bottles produced by Eagle Rare for the Japanese market. The import label indicates the bottle is from 1990, predating Sazerac's acquisition of Buffalo Trace. Color: A deep copper, similar to a new penny. Nose: Abundant vanilla and fresh cream. Almond, apricot, and a touch of spun sugar are also noticeable. Palate: Truly rich. It's exceptionally smooth, with the almond and cream notes becoming more pronounced. Towards the finish, it sharpens with hints of allspice, oak, smoke, and salted caramel. Finish: Slightly fiery, which is expected given the proof. It mellows out, leaving a pleasant oily texture with notes of heavy cream, vanilla pudding, and a lingering sweet stone fruit. Adding a couple of drops of water softens the edges and allows the sweetness and caramel to emerge more prominently. Overall, it's sweeter than the 17-year-old expression, perhaps a bit excessively so, but it's well-balanced and offers a richer palate.