Tastes

This is a comparison of two Eagle Rare store picks from late 2019. Both exhibit the usual Eagle Rate notes, so here are the main differences. 1) Total Wine (Louisville, Kentucky, USA) 2) Apple Spirits (Somerset, Kentucky, USA) Nose: the Apple Spirits pick has a slightly more robust nose. A little bit sweeter, richer. slight more apple and dry fruits on the Apple bottle than the TW bottle which has a drier nose overall. Taste: the Total Wine pick reverses the nose...it’s more robust than the Apple Spirits bottle. Not by much though. Finish: Apple Spirits has a bit longer finish, and makes the Total Wine pick seem a little bit thinner overall. The Apple Spirits pick is a hair better in my opinion. They’re both so close though. Who knows where in the warehouse these two barrels were stored. They could have been next to each other for all I know. But it’s a testament to the consistency Eagle Rare maintains for its 10 years at Buffalo Trace.

Three weeks since trying this bottle and oddly enough the ethanol has disappeared from the nose...only to reappear on the taste. It’s still a solid bourbon and decently complex. Just as good as a bottle of Buffalo Trace. And Elijah Craig (small batch and store Picks especially) generally surpasses this bottle but it’s good for what it is at SRP. I wouldn’t pay the silly markups I’ve seen on this.

Nose: sweet oak, toffee, leather, a hint of cinnamon but not as rye forward on the nose compared to some OF bourbons Taste: spice comes in here, mainly cinnamons, with some vanilla (a few drops of water brings out more of the vanilla) Finish: medium finish, a little zest at the end This might be my favorite widely release OF outside of their whisky row series.

This is a single barrel store pick (Apple Spirits, Somerset KY USA), 2019 Summary: a standard Eagle Rare. Main difference is the nose, which is fruitier and sweeter (reminds me of a strawberry Fruit Rollup, oddly enough) than what I think of as a typical mainline bottle of ER. There are hints of rich strawberries here to go along with the dried cherries you typically get. The finish is also a bit drier than many Eagle Rares, which is typical a pretty dry finish as it is.

This bottle is hit or miss. Some are good some are not so good. Don’t pay more than $40 for this however because to me a good bottle of this is quite similar to Russell’s Reserve 10-year. And that’s easy to find and rarely gouged. So it’s a good bourbon, and I’d out the best barrels I have had against many higher priced bourbons. Just don’t overpay. Nose: rich mix of vanilla, butterscotch, cherries, mint, a decent hit of ethanol Palate: ethanol fades and more vanilla baking spices provides a decent cinnamon and even nutmeg hit on the mid palate Finish: medium, with more spices and some additional sweetness that fades to a dryness

Buffalo Trace must be yanking this out of the oak earlier and earlier every release. In my area I’ve been fortunate enough to find a bottle in each of the last several distilling seasons. Store picks of these are rare but generally better. Single barrels are by nature varied in quality and taste but this “demand” for Blanton’s is detrimental to the once fine bourbon.

Ten years doesn’t do a whole lot for Basil Hayden. Stick with Knob Creek, Bakers or Bookers for a superior bourbon experience at the same price or even cheaper in some cases. Nose: standard Jim Beam aroma including corn, brown sugar, hints of oak and mint Taste: front of the palate is almost scotch-like, but gives way to a little vanilla and caramel and baking spices Finish: short, with a little more rye spice Before the bourbon craze this was about how good standard Jim Beam tasted. Now with the depleted stocks that old flavor profile has jumped to $60+ a bottle. Is it worth it? No way.

I’m coming back to this bottle after almost 2 weeks and it’s opened up quite well. It reminds me of an oaky-er Elijah Craig Sm Batch or a slightly less sweet and more bitter Buffalo Trace. Palate is not quite as creamy but.... Plenty of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and hints of oak however nothing like the oak in OF 1920 or 10. Except bitter in a good way if you can imagine. Generally barrel bitterness does no good for me but this is an exception.

My favorite rye of the last two years. Nose: Quite floral and dessert like flavor notes, including chocolate, mint, hence of caramel, grass, and even a light fruit Palate: rich and decadent, more mint and some tobacco, cinnamon and rye spices mid palate but very balanced Finish: medium to long but with very little bite. Oak, honey and mint linger. What a fantastic rye.