How much do you know about your favourite bottle of bourbon? Today, we take an in-depth look at Eagle Rare, a bourbon staple since its inception in the 1970’s. Eagle Rare has undergone quite a few changes during its history, and we will do our best to profile them here to give you a little extra information the next time you have a dram with friends.
In 1975, Eagle Rare Bourbon was introduced by Four Roses (owned by Seagrams) and Master Distiller Charles L. Beam. Beam was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame posthumously in 2010. Eagle Rare was created in part to compete with another bird-themed bourbon which also happened to be distilled to ER’s original proof: 101. It was distilled at the Old Prentice Distillery in Lawrenceburg, which later became and is currently the home of Four Roses.
In 1989 Sazerac purchased the ER brand and bottled whiskey they sourced for a few years (possibly from Heaven Hill) before they bought the Buffalo Trace distillery (then known as the George T. Stagg Distillery) in 1992. During this era, many of the Eagle Rare labels had a location listed as New Orleans because Sazerac was headquartered there, although that does not mean the product was actually bottled in The Big Easy. The last labels with New Orleans listed on them were likely bottled around 1997.
In 2005, Buffalo Trace discontinued the 10-year old, 101 proof expression, along with the older bottles and label, in favour of a 10-year-old, 90 proof single barrel offering that you find on shelves today. The recipe is part of the Buffalo Trace mash bill #1, a low rye mash bill that is also used for bourbons like Buffalo Trace and E.H. Taylor Small Batch.
There is also an Eagle Rare expression that was made for the Japanese market only that was aged for 15 years and bottled at 107 proof.
There is also a 17-year-old Eagle Rare that is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, an annual release of some of the most sought-after bourbon and rye whiskey in the distillery’s portfolio. The 17-year version of ER is also 90 proof and retails for around $90.
Today, Eagle Rare is often ranked as one of the best bourbon’s you can find under $30 but is becoming harder and harder to find as the word spreads. It’s also part of the private barrel program at Buffalo Trace although it’s been rumored that the program might be on hold due to the current demand.