Eagle Rare 17 Years Review

Country: USA

Brand: Eagle Rare

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Age: 17 Years. This is mentioned on the bottles. But in fact the spirit matured for 19 years.

ABV: 45 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 09/11/2013

Colour: Light Amber

Nose: After having nosed and tasted the Georg T Stagg 2012 with the staggering ABV of 71.4% earlier, the Nose of the Eagle Rare is relatively light in comparison. It's quite Pleasant, Creamy and Waxy though with Sweet Corn, Buttered Toast, Syrup, Vanilla, Honey, Caramel, Berries, Banana, Charred Oak, Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Acetone and hints of Lemon, Leather and Sour-Dough.

Palate: The Delivery would have benefited from an ABV of around 50%.  It's a bit Thin as it is. On the Palate, the Eagle Rare is Dry, Spicy, Herbal and Bitter-Sweet with Caramel, Sweet Corn, Vanilla, Honey, Cocoa Powder, Rye, Dark Chocolate, Mint, Nuts, Stewed Cherries, Pepper, Ginger and a hint of Tobacco.

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet at first but quite Dry towards the end with Toffee, Vanilla, Cherries, Oak, Rye-Bread, Acetone, Pepper and Cinnamon.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets Sweeter with lots of Corn, Syrup, Vanilla and Banana. But Palate and Finish don't take the added Water well. When Nosing you could certainly add a few drops. For tasting however I advise you to sip it neat.

Rating: 85.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Derek's Bottle that produced the Sample!

General Remarks: More than a decade ago the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky launched the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Each year five special Bourbons are released in very limited quantities. For 2012 they were the George T. Stagg 2012, Eagle Rare 17 Years, The Sazerac Rye 18 Years, the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 18 Years, the William Larue Weller Bourbon and the Eagle Rare 17 Years (bottled in the Spring of 2012) we are tasting today. It is sold at prices that vary a lot depending on where you live. I saw prices of around 70 US Dollars in the USA and of up to 200 US Dollars in Europe. So I was very pleased with the sample provided by Derek! 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A Well-Crafted, Solid and " Easy" Bourbon, considering its age. But it's not exceptional and as such pales clearly when compared to the George T Stagg for instance. One of the reasons is the relatively low ABV of 45%. The Palate could do with a higher ABV of around 50%. Still, a very nice Bourbon that would probably sell a lot more if lower priced. Because it's quite expensive for what it offers.

Jan van den Ende                                                       November 2013

Buffalo Trace Review

Country: USA

Brand: Buffalo Trace

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (Probably between 8-12 years)

ABV: 45%

Colour: Deep Orange Amber

Nose: An interesting combination of Sweet Corn/Popcorn, Butter, Rum, Toffee/Caramel, Maple Syrup, Vanilla, Honey, Dried Apricots, Nuts, Aniseed, Cinnamon and White Pepper. There's some Alcohol here to deal with as well. The Sweetness and Spices, though quite common in nature, are well-balanced.

Palate: Sweet, Fruity and Spicy at the same time with Sweet Corn, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Orange, Caramel, Oak, Rye, Nutmeg and Mint.

Finish: Middle-Long, Dry and Spicy with Pepper, Licorice, Mint, Coconut Shells and Vanilla. Both the Corn and Rye are noticeable.

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose the Alcohol retreats of course. But at the same time Spices and Grain start to dominate in this field while the Fruit quietly gives way. Palate and Finish are washed down completely. Only Licorice is left. Don't add water to this Bourbon.  

Rating: 84  

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21 

General Remarks: The name of this Bourbon is a tribute to the Buffalo and the pioneers that followed them westwards. One of these westward trails or traces was called the Great Buffalo Trace and crossed the Kentucky River just north of present day Frankfort. A distillery was constructed in 1858 but in 1872 E.H. Taylor Jr. built a new one on the site. It was rebuilt again in 1882 after a fire that was caused by lightning. The distillery is currently part of Sazerac Company Inc. and is one of the oldest remaining American distilling sites. Buffalo Trace Bourbon was introduced in 2001, two years after the name of the Frankfort distillery was changed from Ancient Age to Buffalo Trace. The distillery produces  a variety of other Bourbons and Rye-Whiskies a.o. Eagle Rare, Weller, Blanton, Elmer T.Lee, van Winkle and George T. Stagg. The secret Mash Bill of the Buffalo Trace includes Corn, Wheat and some malted Barley. It's low on Rye. The Buffalo Trace is a mix of selected barrels from the middle-floors of the warehouses C, I and K. It's relatively cheap at around 25 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks : Good

Conclusion: A good, well-balanced but slightly spicy day-to-day Bourbon. Much better than most Scotch whisky offered at this price level. It's nice to sip or enjoy on the rocks. If you prefer a sweeter flavour profile, Buffalo Trace might not be your Bourbon of (first) choice.

Jan van den Ende                                                             February 26, 2013