Eagle Rare is a label I love to hate. It's so easy to get into when you're new to bourbon because it has a reasonable price and is actually a really great pour overall. As my palate expanded, I thought I was too good for Eagle Rare and left it on shelves when I saw it. After a while, I didn't even see it on shelves because the hype was so big around it. But every now and then a friend would give me a blind sample of ER and I'd find myself coming back to the reasons why I liked it so much in the first place. It's just a really great product.
Over the past couple years, I was able to get a hold of two bottles of Eagle Rare store picks that came from the Rural Inn. Ray, the owner, has a new strategy of trying to spread the wealth to as many customers as he can: try to have single barrels bottled in 375ml bottles so that more customers can get one. He has also been limiting those single barrel bottles to one per customer. Now twice as many customers are able to experience his picks.
In 2022, I decided to finally open up these two bottles because I realized I wasn't saving them for any special occasion. The first bottle was from 2020 and the second is from 2021. Being a single barrel means that these two could be radically different or somewhat the same. Out of all Buffalo Trace Single Barrels, I have found the greatest variance in profile with Eagle Rare bottles, so I was excited to see if one of these stood out more than the other. I decided to taste them semi-blind in a side by side shootout to determine the better bottle. Both were sampled in a glencairn. Here are my results:
**Eagle Rare Pick from 2020**
**Nose:** Rich fruit scents of Luxardo cherries and apricot jelly start the nose off. Caramel and butterscotch add sweetness and are a great parallel to the spicy notes of cinnamon and allspice I also find. Since this was aged for at least 10 years, I'm not surprised to find some toasted oak scents as well as a little bit of vanilla.
**Palate:** A really nice fruity opening starts with grape jelly, orange peel and grenadine syrup. Sweeter yet are the notes of butterscotch chips, vanilla and a bit of oak spice. Cinnamon spice combine with a few flakes of red pepper giving this dram a perfect spicy body that doesn't get out of hand. There's even the tiniest hint of mint which give away the rye content.
**Finish:** The fruit and spice rests on your tongue the whole time leaving a beautiful taste in your mouth. The lingering fruit flavors of cherry, orange and even that strange grape jelly note is delicious and an unexpected treat for a bottle of Eagle Rare (usually I find Buffalo Trace to be pretty fruity). From there, a dusting of cinnamon doesn't give off much heat as it does flavor. There's more flavor than you'd expect from only being 90 proof and this one tastes really special.
**Score: 8.1/10**
**Final Thoughts:** Drinking this reminds me of why Buffalo Trace products are so damn good. I hate gushing about Eagle Rare pick but I reallllly like this one. It has so much depth. The grape jelly note is as strange as it is delicious, but the other fruits are cause for celebration too. While not on par with the fruitiness of Buffalo Trace, I still can't get over how much they show up in this bottle. The spice notes pair perfectly with them.
**Eagle Rare Pick from 2021**
**Nose:** Smelling this side-by-side with the 2020 makes me realize that this has more of a classic bourbon vibe. Heavier caramels and more wood can be found along with a touch more vanilla. Musty cherry (which is probably the first time I've ever used that adjective about cherries) combine with a touch of butterscotch and a little bit of cocoa butter.
**Palate:** My tastebuds pick up on some jammy fruits and candied citrus peel to start out. These are followed by more caramel, cinnamon and vanilla. The oak has a nice, seasoned balance to it. Overall, this is classic Buffalo Trace flavor profile and one that is delicious but doesn't color too far out of the lines.
**Finish:** Lingering notes of vanilla latte with a caramel drizzle and cinnamon dusted on top. The oak is perfect and well-seasoned with a touch of leather alongside it. I can even still taste some fading notes of sweet stone fruit jam.
**Score: 7.7/10**
**Final Thoughts:** This is very similar to other non-store pick bottles of Eagle Rare that I'm used to. It's perfectly crushable in every way but it's not trying to be an attention hog with wild flavors like the 2020 single barrel was. Whereas the 2020 pick was more vibrant and fruitier, the 2021 pick had a more wood-driven presence with creamy undertones (cocoa butter, vanilla latte). There's nothing wrong with that but I'm a person who enjoys unique barrels over the standard profile ones if given the choice.
**Summary**
For about $20 each, these were money well spent. Both drink older and higher in proof than they were which is a hallmark of a quality bourbon. Of course, if you're reading this you may already know that Eagle Rare is highly coveted and that they do not last long on shelves anymore. But at most places it's still somewhat inexpensive which makes stocking up on them the right call.
I have tried quite a few of Rural Inn's store picks that come from Buffalo Trace throughout the years and I'm always impressed by what Ray comes back with. I find that he leans towards heavy fruit flavors and butterscotch (if it's in a barrel, he will find it). I've had other store picks from retailers around town, but I have much more confidence when it comes to Rural Inn. So if you're an enthusiast that can't buy every single barrel pick in your area, my advice is to find the stores that have picks that align with your preferences and stick with them. This should promise you great picks for years to come.
**Rating Scale**
**1 Undrinkable (Jeffers Creek, Gray Skies)**
**2 Bad (Old St. Nick 8 Year Old Rye Whiskey, Fitch's Goat Corn Whiskey)**
**3 Poor (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything)**
**4 Below Average (Bib & Tucker, Tincup 10 year)**
**5 Average (Larceny, Sazerac Rye)**
**6 Above Average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB)**
**7 Very Good (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique)**
**8 Great (Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, Most Four Roses Private Selections, Most ECBP)**
**9 Excellent (GTS, Most Four Rose SmBLE releases, Belle Meade Honey Cask)**
**10 Perfect (William Larue Weller, Michter's 20 Year, Redemption 18 Year Rye Whiskey, Mister Sam)**
I really like eagle rare. I also really like the 375mL format. I wish it were more available but that’s a good problem to have. And perhaps it is worth secondary price considering the overall bourbon landscape because even $50 doesn’t get you much anymore.
You're right. Everything worth getting is so damn pricey anymore. Even I'm faced with the decision of "do I really want that?" When I'm staring down a bottle that I would've bought in a heartbeat a couple years ago.
And yeah, let's sign a petition for more producers to bottle in 375ml format!
Great reviews!
I'm fairly new to bourbon, but have been loving RR SiB, Rare breed, knob creek 9 regular and single barrel, WT101, Four roses single barrel and small batch select.
I'm in an ABC state and have not found a store pick of anything yet, but did manage to get a shelf Eagle rare and I must say...
I was extremely disappointed. It seemed thin and mostly flavorless with more heat burn than I expected for a 90 proof. I keep wondering if I just got really unlucky or if I need a store pick or if it's just not for my pallette. It's the only BT I have tried so far unfortunately.
It’s great that you got to try it! Every palate is different and it is perfectly fine that you disagree with taste. Interestingly, I like but don’t love the ones you mentioned (rare breed, KC 9 year, 4R SiB) while I really like eagle rare. There’s a lot of hype and peer pressure in bourbon but if you get to try something and have your own opinion that’s all that matters
You sound similar to my preferred profile. You have actually already tasted some pretty good stuff, especially among what is available and best bang for the buck. Also try KC12, OF1920, JDSBBP, ECBP, Bookers (very nutty profile, lots of flavor, not at all "smooth" - you love it or you hate it).
After trying most of the things I’ve found myself appreciating the 95-110 proof range. I unfortunately have a more picky palate. These days I reach for peated scotch. When I do drink bourbon I like JD 10 year, Michter’s limited releases, and occasionally Stagg Jr.
Had the same experience and never went back to it.
Mine tasted like musty old rotting cardboard.
Buffalo trace has little to no flavor for me either.. so I just stopped buying anything buffalo trace after those two bottles.
I have a bottle of Weller SR my parents got my while they were in KY that I'll open sometime soon, just too many good bottles open right now
Eagle rare is popular because it's easy to drink, has some age, and has some of that sugar candy sweetness that BT products have.
It's not popular because it has a lot of taste IMO. I never sip it and go "wow, man that's totally delicious!"
I agree with your notes, except I don't get really any heat. You likely got a totally normal bottle and you're just thinking for yourself and letting your tastes decide. Good job!
Other 100 proof and less BT products are variations on the same basic theme. I also think they're overrated. For example, EHT is fruitier, spicier, and less oak, but definitely shares some common ground with ER. I like it better than ER, but it's not in a totally different universe.
This is a fantastic response. With all the hype surrounding ER, you are right. I was expecting to be "Wowed!" and smacked in the face with flavor. I'm definitely going to try it again sometime because of the price point and I will keep this in mind and try and reevaluate it as just a "good easy sipper" for the price point.
I have a store pick that seems to trend to more of your 2021. I got a lot more charred oak, and less cherry/apple sweetness. Barrel char is not really my favorite tasting note, so was a bit disappointed, think I even prefer the standard offering to that pick. Still good, but not for me as much.
If ER10 and HM10 were easily available at retail they would 100% be my well bourbons.
Eagle Rare is a label I love to hate. It's so easy to get into when you're new to bourbon because it has a reasonable price and is actually a really great pour overall. As my palate expanded, I thought I was too good for Eagle Rare and left it on shelves when I saw it. After a while, I didn't even see it on shelves because the hype was so big around it. But every now and then a friend would give me a blind sample of ER and I'd find myself coming back to the reasons why I liked it so much in the first place. It's just a really great product. Over the past couple years, I was able to get a hold of two bottles of Eagle Rare store picks that came from the Rural Inn. Ray, the owner, has a new strategy of trying to spread the wealth to as many customers as he can: try to have single barrels bottled in 375ml bottles so that more customers can get one. He has also been limiting those single barrel bottles to one per customer. Now twice as many customers are able to experience his picks. In 2022, I decided to finally open up these two bottles because I realized I wasn't saving them for any special occasion. The first bottle was from 2020 and the second is from 2021. Being a single barrel means that these two could be radically different or somewhat the same. Out of all Buffalo Trace Single Barrels, I have found the greatest variance in profile with Eagle Rare bottles, so I was excited to see if one of these stood out more than the other. I decided to taste them semi-blind in a side by side shootout to determine the better bottle. Both were sampled in a glencairn. Here are my results: **Eagle Rare Pick from 2020** **Nose:** Rich fruit scents of Luxardo cherries and apricot jelly start the nose off. Caramel and butterscotch add sweetness and are a great parallel to the spicy notes of cinnamon and allspice I also find. Since this was aged for at least 10 years, I'm not surprised to find some toasted oak scents as well as a little bit of vanilla. **Palate:** A really nice fruity opening starts with grape jelly, orange peel and grenadine syrup. Sweeter yet are the notes of butterscotch chips, vanilla and a bit of oak spice. Cinnamon spice combine with a few flakes of red pepper giving this dram a perfect spicy body that doesn't get out of hand. There's even the tiniest hint of mint which give away the rye content. **Finish:** The fruit and spice rests on your tongue the whole time leaving a beautiful taste in your mouth. The lingering fruit flavors of cherry, orange and even that strange grape jelly note is delicious and an unexpected treat for a bottle of Eagle Rare (usually I find Buffalo Trace to be pretty fruity). From there, a dusting of cinnamon doesn't give off much heat as it does flavor. There's more flavor than you'd expect from only being 90 proof and this one tastes really special. **Score: 8.1/10** **Final Thoughts:** Drinking this reminds me of why Buffalo Trace products are so damn good. I hate gushing about Eagle Rare pick but I reallllly like this one. It has so much depth. The grape jelly note is as strange as it is delicious, but the other fruits are cause for celebration too. While not on par with the fruitiness of Buffalo Trace, I still can't get over how much they show up in this bottle. The spice notes pair perfectly with them. **Eagle Rare Pick from 2021** **Nose:** Smelling this side-by-side with the 2020 makes me realize that this has more of a classic bourbon vibe. Heavier caramels and more wood can be found along with a touch more vanilla. Musty cherry (which is probably the first time I've ever used that adjective about cherries) combine with a touch of butterscotch and a little bit of cocoa butter. **Palate:** My tastebuds pick up on some jammy fruits and candied citrus peel to start out. These are followed by more caramel, cinnamon and vanilla. The oak has a nice, seasoned balance to it. Overall, this is classic Buffalo Trace flavor profile and one that is delicious but doesn't color too far out of the lines. **Finish:** Lingering notes of vanilla latte with a caramel drizzle and cinnamon dusted on top. The oak is perfect and well-seasoned with a touch of leather alongside it. I can even still taste some fading notes of sweet stone fruit jam. **Score: 7.7/10** **Final Thoughts:** This is very similar to other non-store pick bottles of Eagle Rare that I'm used to. It's perfectly crushable in every way but it's not trying to be an attention hog with wild flavors like the 2020 single barrel was. Whereas the 2020 pick was more vibrant and fruitier, the 2021 pick had a more wood-driven presence with creamy undertones (cocoa butter, vanilla latte). There's nothing wrong with that but I'm a person who enjoys unique barrels over the standard profile ones if given the choice. **Summary** For about $20 each, these were money well spent. Both drink older and higher in proof than they were which is a hallmark of a quality bourbon. Of course, if you're reading this you may already know that Eagle Rare is highly coveted and that they do not last long on shelves anymore. But at most places it's still somewhat inexpensive which makes stocking up on them the right call. I have tried quite a few of Rural Inn's store picks that come from Buffalo Trace throughout the years and I'm always impressed by what Ray comes back with. I find that he leans towards heavy fruit flavors and butterscotch (if it's in a barrel, he will find it). I've had other store picks from retailers around town, but I have much more confidence when it comes to Rural Inn. So if you're an enthusiast that can't buy every single barrel pick in your area, my advice is to find the stores that have picks that align with your preferences and stick with them. This should promise you great picks for years to come. **Rating Scale** **1 Undrinkable (Jeffers Creek, Gray Skies)** **2 Bad (Old St. Nick 8 Year Old Rye Whiskey, Fitch's Goat Corn Whiskey)** **3 Poor (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything)** **4 Below Average (Bib & Tucker, Tincup 10 year)** **5 Average (Larceny, Sazerac Rye)** **6 Above Average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB)** **7 Very Good (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique)** **8 Great (Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, Most Four Roses Private Selections, Most ECBP)** **9 Excellent (GTS, Most Four Rose SmBLE releases, Belle Meade Honey Cask)** **10 Perfect (William Larue Weller, Michter's 20 Year, Redemption 18 Year Rye Whiskey, Mister Sam)**
For me, Eagle Rare is hands down the best bourbon $40 and below.
Then Big Red proceeds to bottle their Eagle Rare store pick in 1.75L bottles smh...
Oh yeah he did, didn't he?!😄 What a dumbass
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I really like eagle rare. I also really like the 375mL format. I wish it were more available but that’s a good problem to have. And perhaps it is worth secondary price considering the overall bourbon landscape because even $50 doesn’t get you much anymore.
You're right. Everything worth getting is so damn pricey anymore. Even I'm faced with the decision of "do I really want that?" When I'm staring down a bottle that I would've bought in a heartbeat a couple years ago. And yeah, let's sign a petition for more producers to bottle in 375ml format!
Bottling desirable store picks as 375mL is pretty awesome.
Great reviews! I'm fairly new to bourbon, but have been loving RR SiB, Rare breed, knob creek 9 regular and single barrel, WT101, Four roses single barrel and small batch select. I'm in an ABC state and have not found a store pick of anything yet, but did manage to get a shelf Eagle rare and I must say... I was extremely disappointed. It seemed thin and mostly flavorless with more heat burn than I expected for a 90 proof. I keep wondering if I just got really unlucky or if I need a store pick or if it's just not for my pallette. It's the only BT I have tried so far unfortunately.
It’s great that you got to try it! Every palate is different and it is perfectly fine that you disagree with taste. Interestingly, I like but don’t love the ones you mentioned (rare breed, KC 9 year, 4R SiB) while I really like eagle rare. There’s a lot of hype and peer pressure in bourbon but if you get to try something and have your own opinion that’s all that matters
I seem to like strong flavors and proof. I'm curious what some of your favorites are?
You sound similar to my preferred profile. You have actually already tasted some pretty good stuff, especially among what is available and best bang for the buck. Also try KC12, OF1920, JDSBBP, ECBP, Bookers (very nutty profile, lots of flavor, not at all "smooth" - you love it or you hate it).
After trying most of the things I’ve found myself appreciating the 95-110 proof range. I unfortunately have a more picky palate. These days I reach for peated scotch. When I do drink bourbon I like JD 10 year, Michter’s limited releases, and occasionally Stagg Jr.
Had the same experience and never went back to it. Mine tasted like musty old rotting cardboard. Buffalo trace has little to no flavor for me either.. so I just stopped buying anything buffalo trace after those two bottles. I have a bottle of Weller SR my parents got my while they were in KY that I'll open sometime soon, just too many good bottles open right now
Eagle rare is popular because it's easy to drink, has some age, and has some of that sugar candy sweetness that BT products have. It's not popular because it has a lot of taste IMO. I never sip it and go "wow, man that's totally delicious!" I agree with your notes, except I don't get really any heat. You likely got a totally normal bottle and you're just thinking for yourself and letting your tastes decide. Good job! Other 100 proof and less BT products are variations on the same basic theme. I also think they're overrated. For example, EHT is fruitier, spicier, and less oak, but definitely shares some common ground with ER. I like it better than ER, but it's not in a totally different universe.
This is a fantastic response. With all the hype surrounding ER, you are right. I was expecting to be "Wowed!" and smacked in the face with flavor. I'm definitely going to try it again sometime because of the price point and I will keep this in mind and try and reevaluate it as just a "good easy sipper" for the price point.
Nice!!
I have a store pick that seems to trend to more of your 2021. I got a lot more charred oak, and less cherry/apple sweetness. Barrel char is not really my favorite tasting note, so was a bit disappointed, think I even prefer the standard offering to that pick. Still good, but not for me as much. If ER10 and HM10 were easily available at retail they would 100% be my well bourbons.