Mash Whisky

Eagle Rare is a 10 year old (although rumoured to be older) straight bourbon produced by the legendary Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. It's made from their lower-rye (less than 10%) mash #1, which you may already be familiar with if you've had some of their other whiskies, such as EH Taylor, Stagg Jr, Buffalo Trace or Benchmark Bourbon.

Eagle Rare was previously labelled as a single barrel bourbon but the term was dropped when production switched from hand to machine bottling. Maybe this, combined with the 10 year age statement and remarkably low price, contributed towards the huge demand, and often inflated prices, that Eagle Rare has these days. You should expect to pay anywhere between £30 and £40 for a 700ml bottle, and not, astonishingly, the 3x price I sometimes see on Instagram. Anyway, but is it worth the hype?

Nose

Sweet buttery corn and vanilla. Orange zest and leather. Creamy vanilla and oak. I can't quite decide if it's a plum or dark cherry sweetness. There's nothing particularly surprising here. A light and friendly nose, but not boring.

Palate

Balanced. Oily but not quite mouthfilling - still somehow subtle and inoffensive. Woody spice, burnt brown sugar and creamy vanilla are at the forefront. The sweetness turns into chocolate and finishes with tangy orange zest. The mystery fruit from the nose emerges as cherry.

Finish

Nutty, minty and dry. There are tannins here that make your tongue tingle. A little peppery rye lingers amongst the caramel.

Overall

For circa £35, you can't really go wrong. Is it the best bourbon under £50? Probably not - but, it is damn good. It's, in my opinion, the perfect bottle for the "I've tried all the supermarket bourbons and want to experiment a little" crowd, which makes it a perfect gift for someone entering the wider world of bourbon, or a great "go to" bottle for somebody a little more experienced. Regardless of your experience, and whether you buy into the hype or not, it's hard to turn down an age statement for less than £50.