Eagle Rare Single Barrel Review

I’ve only had Eagle Rare a handful of times. I remember liking it but have never owned a bottle. I’m usually a bigger fan of Buffalo Trace’s #2 mashbill but I do enjoy a couple of bottles from the #1 bill. I actually had a hard time finding this. It seems Eagle Rare is completely out at our regional distributor and I’ve heard claims from store owners that BT is out as well. I had to venture out to some lesser traveled stores to find my bottle.

45% ABV; Aged 10 years; $32

Nose: Alcohol vapor is well masked. Typical vanilla and caramel. Dried fruits like you would find in trail mix. Root beer. Cream soda. The nose is heavy towards the sweet end.
Taste: Lots of reinforcement of the sweet nose. Honey. Abundance of sweet sugar and syrup flavors, just take your pick which ones you want to name. Oakyness and tannins are there but well balanced.
Finish: What little spice this bourbon projects come through with a little minty tingle. Medium but very pleasant barrel char. Finish is long. Light anise/licorice. Darker chocolate sweet notes linger at the very end very lightly.
Notes: This is a solid sipper. My goto #1 mashbill used to be Buffalo Trace. I don’t feel this one has the butteriness of the Buffalo Trace that I enjoy but overall the quality is cranked up a notch. I feel it’s worth the money over Buffalo Trace and a great value.
Rating: B / B-