Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon Leads the Way
The big distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky has announced this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (or BTAC, as the cool kids call it). For more than 20 autumns, the collection has rounded up five of the usual suspects: George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye, Eagle Rare, and Sazerac Rye.
The big news this year is the inclusion of “the oldest Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon in the collection’s history.”
“Collection” is in the eye of the beholder. The bottles are sold individually, with an SRP of $124.99. And good luck to you collectors finding these bottles at that price point. Might BTAC stand for Buy These Above Cost?
Here’s the BTAC rundown:
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon
- Distilled in the spring of 2004. Barrels were aged in Warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. (Which means it’s actually 19 years and three months old.)
- Bottled at 101 proof.
- “Notes of cherry pie filling on the nose with a well-balanced flavor of caramel-drizzled chocolate sponge cake, finishing with dry and spicy notes of an earthy cigar box.”
George T. Stagg Bourbon
- Distilled in the spring of 2008. Barrels were aged in Warehouses C, I, K, L, and M.
- 135 proof (yes, you read that right).
- This powerful 15-year and 4-month-old bourbon is described as having “Scents of cinnamon and cherry cola and a well-balanced mix of leather, chocolate, and vanilla on the palate, complete with a robust, earthy finish.”
Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Whiskey
- Rye whiskey barrels were filled between the fall of 2004 and the spring of 2005 and aged in Warehouses K, L, and M.
- “Offers a scent of dried orange, rye grain, clove and aniseed, a palate of black pepper, vanilla, and waves of oak, and a florally honey and tobacco leaf finish.”
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey
- Aged six years.
- Uncut and unfiltered 124.9 proof.
- “On the palate, freshly baked rye bread spread with orange marmalade and honey appear first, followed by a lingering finish of light oak and black licorice.”
William Larue Weller Bourbon
- Distilled in the spring of 2011. Barrels were aged in Warehouses C, L, M, and N.
- 113.6 proof, surpassing last year’s proof offering of 124.7.
- “Candied notes of dark brown sugar and vanilla bean are found on the nose, followed by a warm and full palate with stewed cherry and brown sugar crumble and a robust, dense finish enveloped with baking spice and a hint of maple syrup.”
"17 years indicates the minimum age for Eagle Rare 17 barrels to be bottled. With taste as a priority for the distilling and lab experts at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the age of actual barrels in the whiskey varies yearly to meet its ideal flavor profile."
