Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

For value, Eagle Rare 10 is one of my favorite bourbons. As one of the mid-level Buffalo Trace bottles, it's not going to be too hard to find this bourbon on the shelves of almost any half-decent liquor store, and it is competitively priced at between $33-40. A fun nose features sweet, candy-like dates, marzipan (more so than vanilla, although that's here as well), cappuccino, and some leather. It tastes fruity and sweet, like a lot of Buffalo Trace's products do, with honey, dates, apple, and that marzipan balanced out by some barrel char and rye spice. The finish is espresso, cherry, yeasty rye bread, and again a little smoke. Eagle Rare 10's probably a better value than Blanton's, and would be one of my staple bottles under $35. It's a nice step up from Buffalo Trace, which has a similar taste profile, isn't aged quite as much (maybe 8 years), and costs $5-10 less. If only they released barrel proof Eagle Rare -- that would be something to behold!

Has been sitting in my cabinet for awhile. Bought to try another in the gnarled Buffalo Trace family tree. Impression upon breaking the seal tonight? Mediocre. Nothing which really makes me take note. Unmemorable is the word here. A mish-mash of flavor profiles typical to bourbon, but none really coming to the front. Not harsh. Not smooth. A faint bitterness in the aftertaste, but not bad. Overall, just...bourbon. Which is not a complaint, except at this price point. There are better options at (and below) this price.