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

George T Stagg 2012 Review

Country: USA

Brand: George T. Stagg 2012

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 71.4 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 15/10/2013

Colour: Dark Amber with Orange and Chocolate Tones.

Nose: Very nice and approachable despite the very high ABV. In fact it's the highest ABV I have encountered so far. You need to give it some time in the glass before Nosing. I find Buttered Sweet Corn, Syrup, Oak, Cinnamon, Cloves, Honey, Cooked Apples, Vanilla, Pencil Shavings, Coffee Beans coated with Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Nuts and Dried Fruits. Tones of Apricot, Berries, Mint and Cocoa Powder. Very nicely balanced. The Alcohol is there of course but you can work your way around it without any major difficulties. This is a quality Bourbon!

Palate: Holy cow! Take small sips cause this is really strong stuff. I find Sweet Corn and Syrup, Oak, Vanilla, Rye, Christmas Spices, Cooked Apples and Berries, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, light Acetone and Dark Chocolate. Notes of Orange Liqueur and Brandy. This will warm you up quickly in Winter Time!

Finish: Strong and Dry but on the short side with Sweet Corn and Syrup, Caramel, Christmas Spices, Oak, Marshmallow and Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa). Bit of an Alcohol burn at the end but not in a bad way. 

You can add a bit of Water of course and it still smells and tastes good. But neat it shows all of its wild beauty and balance.  

Rating: 89

Nose: 23.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22.5

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 Eagle Rare 17 Years, The Sazerac Rye 18 Years, the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 18 Years, the William Larue Weller Bourbon and the George T Stagg 2012 we are tasting today. Theoretically it would be for sale at around 100 US Dollars but in reality it's almost impossible to get these special expressions, especially outside the USA. So I was very pleased with the sample provided by Derek! The George T. Stagg 2012 was distilled in 1995, matured in new handpicked White Oak Barrels and was bottled unfiltered at Barrel Strength in 2012. It contains Corn from Kentucky, Rye from Minnesota and Malted Barley from North Dakota.

Drinking Experience Neat: Excellent.

Conclusion: Easily the best Bourbon I've tasted so far. I nosed it for over an hour and only stopped because dinner was ready. The Nose is the best part without any doubt. The Sweet Corn is lovely and the Rye content fits as a glove.  It's Bourbon, Coffee Liqueur and Brandy all at the same time. The Palate follows the Nose with lovely Corn, Christmas Spices and Cooked Apples. The Alcohol does make it a bit of challenge though. And with Water it loses some of its Magic. The Finish is a bit too Dry and on the short side in my opinion but the Dark Chocolate Notes are very nice. You must try this if you can find it!

Jan van den Ende                                                        October 2013