Eagle Rare 17 Year Bourbon (Fall 2020)

I have only really done this once before but I'm going to do this review on memory. The reason is simple...this whisky sells for STUPID amounts and I think there's a value in reviews from people who aren't really influenced by the hype. Nose - So this is where my memory is going to be a bit weak. It was wonderful bourbon and honestly about as good as you'd expect. That classic buffalo trace smooth and gentle oak with wonderful vanilla and caramel and some light cherry elements. Oak was wonderfully in play here. It wasn't deep it wasn't rich and it wasn't amazing, but as good a nose as you'd expect on 101 proof. Taste - my first sip was just wonderful. It was this perfect balance of sweet, well aged, leathers and varnish and lovely lovely aged vanilla with a great balance of oak and sweet. Sadly, two things went horribly wrong. First, the finish got more and more and more bitter and oaky. The first sip it was fine but you already knew something was off. Second, I went in for another sip and I don't get it but every sip of the 1 oz I had got more oaky and more bitter and the sweet notes subsided more and more. I've really never had a bourbon do this. If anything an EC 18 for example does the opposite. The end result was this overly oaked and tannic pour after just a few sips. It wasn't terrible even at it's worst but this went from this wonderful but not WOW bourbon to a really odd and then somewhat off showing. Overall - I like this bourbon and I'd happily buy one for about 100 and I would keep buying it at 100. I would get one at 200 and I might get one at 300. The difference is I'd never buy another one at 200 or 300. I love well aged bourbon, it's a weakness for me and I often get whiskies that I fully know don't compare to equal priced scotches, but I just love aged bourbon and I know the cost to enjoyment level is always out of whack on those. That said this is highly flawed and the 101 proof comes off too low or they did too much filtering, but it's lacking. I'm at a 2.75 for this one. So here's the thing, the first sip was a 3.5 level kind of bourbon, maybe 4.0. But each sip after the oak got bigger and bolder but while I like that generally, it was on the finish and it over powered things. Additionally the mouth feel was just a bit thin even at 101, it's like they overly filtered it. I mean 100 point scale this is like an 82-85 range, and I'd lean to an 84 because I think it does some stuff that's hard to do, but subjectively I might have gone 82 because despite the epic first sip, the more you dig into it the less you like it. It's really good and well above an average whisky which I score at 2.0, not 3.0 as many do here. But it's truly nothing special despite being a rather special thing in that you don't see 17 (actually 18 year if you read into the details) year old buffalo trace that often. At retail I think you should buy this one, but even a hint of secondary and this is a pass, at the REAL secondary this is a joke beyond words. This isn't going to be a bourbon people in 10 years are looking for, unless they collect verticals. No drinker is going to chase this at the secondary prices to drink it. It's not even remotely good enough.

Neat. Bar pour. On the nose, the oak was dominating but very inviting. It subsided a bit after a few minutes. A rich vanilla sweet cream syrup emerges underneath along side some dark cherries. Hint of white pepper. Butter scotch and light peanut, reminding me of a chocolate turtle a bit. For the most part it is the oak and vanilla syrup doing a dance. On the taste, mouthfeel is light but oily. Almost like it’s not even on the tongue until you move it around and oils swish about. Initial flavors on the front of the palate are odd and surprising. Upfront it almost has a mouthwash quality to it, like the flavor is so bright it mutes itself off the scale. It’s just very sweet again with that vanilla syrup. The oak and cherry come punching through on mid-palate. Finish is all barrel and pepper. Very drying, long finish. Barrel and tobacco. That mouthwash sensation keeps occurring. Going to wash out and reset before going back in. Washing out and resetting dispelled that mouthwash sensation. An orange note starts poking through. All in all, not sure why people spend so much on this. I guess just to complete the vertical. I open everything that enters my house but if I get my hand on this, I would not open it. Glad I get to try it in this setting!

Inviting nose. Vanilla and oak initially, but letting it sit in the glass for a good while really allows the fruit to open up. On the palate, less honey than last year’s release. Caramelized sugar and a delightful warming spice give way to the dark fruits that seem to be so characteristic of Buffalo Trace. But then they exit for a finish that is the oak and leather you’d expect from an 18 year bourbon. Once again I think this line has really benefited from the proof bumping up to 101 a couple years back. It’s no brute compared to some of its BTAC siblings but the extra 11 points really give it some character. If you’ve ever had Blanton’s Gold compared to regular Blanton’s, you know what I’m talking about.

Nose: Overwhelming cherry. Subtle oakiness. Faint smell of rising dough. Taste: Holy toledo! What a treat! No bite whatsoever. Cherry pie filling or cherry syrup. Sopapillas (dough and sweet spices). Palate: I hate using the “S” word to describe a whiskey... but “smooth” is really the best I can do to put in to words the experience I had with this. Not overly complex, but very sweet, and syrupy smooth. You can easily sit with this for long hours. I was generously granted a 2oz sample from a member of a local whiskey group, thank you KM.

Nose: Very cherry-forward. Long, deep breaths reveal notes of rising bread dough, vanilla and toasted oak — like a cherry pie about to go into the oven to bake. Palate: Again, cherry-forward. The raw dough and vanilla appear in their baked form this time, though, like a cherry pie with a crisp, toasted crust. Finish: Oak spice punches through, providing a nice contrast to the sweet nose and palate. Medium-short finish, but still nice. Got to taste this, courtesy of @anorakjackson — thanks, my man!

nose- Soft and creamy vanilla, not as much barrel as I expected for age. Taste- Easy start with Rich caramel and vanilla candy, sugary sweetness, that quickly moves into leather and almost tobacco notes. Char and bits of smoke very lightly. Incredibly rich and you get a lot out of really working it in your mouth. Finish- lingered forever. It builds and stays sweet with lots of leathery tobacco type notes rich and powerful. A great pour