Buffalo Trace Distillery, recognized for its long history and acclaimed bourbons, has introduced Eagle Rare 25, a 25-year-old bourbon that pushes the boundaries of aging. This release stands as the oldest expression in the Eagle Rare portfolio and is the product of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s comprehensive experimental program, involving an investment of over $20 million.
Eagle Rare 25 emerges from Buffalo Trace’s belief that the best whiskey the world has yet to experience. To explore this idea, the distillery has undertaken numerous experiments over the years, examining various factors affecting whiskey aging and maturation. Warehouse P, one of Buffalo Trace’s experimental warehouses, played a significant role in creating Eagle Rare 25.
Traditionally, extended aging leads to increased evaporation, commonly known as the angel’s share, and intensified flavor extraction from the barrel, often resulting in whiskey that’s overly oaked, astringent, and dry. However, the unique aging conditions in Warehouse P allowed the production of a 25-year-old bourbon that maintains the desirable flavors of ultra-aged American whiskey while retaining a smooth profile.
Eagle Rare 25 features tasting notes of intense cherry, oak, dark chocolate, and an icing drizzle on the nose. The palate offers a harmonious blend of vanilla, dark fruit, and butterscotch, leading to an exceptionally long finish with lingering notes of rickhouse floor, baking spice, and black pepper.
Each bottle of Eagle Rare 25 is a work of art, featuring a custom sterling silver wing hand-hammered to encase a hand-blown crystal decanter. Inside the custom display box, an eagle’s outstretched wings frame the 101-proof bourbon, which also contains an elegant glass eagle within the bottle, presenting a truly exceptional experience.
Approximately 200 bottles of Eagle Rare 25 will be available worldwide starting in November 2023, with a suggested retail price of $10,000 per bottle. This unique expression joins the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, which includes Eagle Rare, Double Eagle Very Rare, and Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old, all released annually.
Big news for Buffalo Trace distillery. They are now the only distillery ever to earn the top two honors in the annual review from famed Whiskey reviewer Jim Murray. Read on below…
AMERICAN WHISKIES FROM BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY NAMED 1ST AND 2ND BEST IN THE WORLD
Never before has any one distillery earned the top two honors!
FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (Nov. 6, 2012) – Buffalo Trace Distillery has made history in the whiskey industry with not one, but two Whiskey of the Year Awards from esteemed whiskey reviewer Jim Murray. In the newly published 2013 Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible, the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was named “2013 World Whiskey of the Year” and the William Larue Weller was named “Second Finest Whiskey in the World.”
The coveted number one and two spots were the result of Jim Murray tasting over 4,500 whiskies, in route to publishing his annual Whisky Bible. It is the first time in the book’s ten year history that both the number one and two whiskies in the world have come from the United States, much less the same distillery.
About the Thomas H. Handy, Murray says, “This is enormous….Once off the ground it just doesn’t stop traveling. Superb!” A 97.5 (out of 100) rating.
The praise doesn’t stop there; for the second place William Larue Weller, Murray says, “WOW! This is becoming a must experience whiskey for hardcore bourbon lovers. Well, whisk(e)y lovers period, really! Majestic! Or, as it’s American, perhaps I should say: Presidential.” Also a 97.5 (out of 100) rating.
In regards to deciding between the first and second place, with both whiskies earning the same score, Murray says, “This was a very tough call to make on which of the two deserved top billing. Although from the same distillery they are very different animals. The enormity of the Weller was so apparent…I knew from the very first taste that it stood every chance of being World Whisky of the Year.
“But it was eclipsed by the Thomas Handy Rye, even though they both scored the same number of points. The Rye edged it, by the smallest of fractions, simply because of its extraordinary life and balance on the palate and its uncanny ability to just keep working on full alert for the longest imaginable time. It took a couple of days to decide between the two, but the Handy could not be denied.”
In addition to the number one and number two finest whiskies in the world, Buffalo Trace Distillery also earned an astounding 35 additional awards from Jim Murray, including Bourbon of the Year for its William Larue Weller; Rye of the Year for its Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye; Rye 11 Years or Older for its Sazerac 18 Years Old, and a host of Liquid Gold Awards, which are given only to those whiskies which score a “94” or higher, which is considered, “superstar whiskies that give us all a reason to live,” according to Jim Murray.
Amongst those whiskies from Buffalo Trace Distillery that received Liquid Gold Awards were George T. Stagg; Buffalo Trace Bourbon; Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old; Old Weller Antique 107 and Single Oak Project Barrels 63, 14, 132, 33, 61, 164, 191, 81 and 167.
“We were blown away when we heard the results from Jim,” said Harlen Wheatley, master distiller, “To have one ‘Best Whiskey in the World’ is wonderful. To have the number one and the number two spots is just amazing; we’re very proud of our team here at Buffalo Trace.”
The 2013 Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible can be purchased at the Buffalo Trace Distillery gift shop, among other places, or online at www.whiskybible.com.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com
FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (Oct. 2012) – Buffalo Trace Distillery pays homage to former Distillery owner E. H. Taylor, Jr. with a small batch, Bottled-In-Bond, 100 proof bourbon whiskey aged in Taylor’s warehouse.
Taylor built his iconic brick warehouse for barrel aging in 1881 and the Warehouse is still in use today. After seven years on the sixth floor, his namesake bourbon whiskey tastes of caramel corn sweetness, mingled with butterscotch and licorice. The aftertaste is a soft mouth-feel that turns into subtle spices of pepper and tobacco.
The Small Batch Bourbon is the sixth and latest release in the line of the E. H. Taylor, Jr. collection of whiskeys, rounding out the collection of Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon, Barrel Proof Bourbon and Straight Rye Whiskey. The Taylor collection was first released in early 2011. Like the previous five releases, this whiskey will have very limited availability and will be packaged in a vintage label and canister reminiscent of Taylor’s bottles over one hundred years ago.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to our E. H. Taylor, Jr. whiskeys,” said Kris Comstock, Bourbon marketing director. “We’re honored to pay tribute to a pioneer and legend like Taylor.”
Edmund Haynes Taylor is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the distillery that is known today as the Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today by Buffalo Trace, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.
The inaugural bottling of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey will be available in November. The suggested retail price is $39.99 per 750ml bottle.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com
