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You must be 21 or over to enter this website. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon.
Please read and drink responsibly.
Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: Sazerac Company
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Release Date: October 2025
Proof: 101
Age: 17 Years (18 years, 4 months per company press release)
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Color: Honey
MSRP: $150 / 750mL (2025)
Lush fruits | Cherry | Stone fruit | Apple cider | Raspberry | Seasoned oak | Brown sugar
Aged leather | Sweet tobacco | Caramel | Vanilla | Brown sugar | Dark fruits | Oak tannins | Slightly dry | Lively
Aged oak | Brown sugar | Peppery spice | Touch of funky oak | Mildly dry
This year's Eagle Rare 17 Year is a beautifully balanced, high-aged bourbon that deftly manages its oak, showcasing lush fruit, aged leather, and a deep, well-controlled complexity without becoming overly dry.
Eagle Rare 17 roared back last year with an impressive release after a few years of what felt like struggling to regain its former glory we experienced a decade ago. Eagle Rare 17 is at its best when it is able to showcase its high age with equal vibrancy. With the 2025 release coming in a full 12 months older than last year's release, you might expect its age to overtake the focus of the sip, but somehow that isn’t the case at all.
The bourbon begins with a dynamic aroma filled with lush fruits in the way of cherry, raspberry, and a range of stone fruits. Apple cider begins to ground the aroma before rich seasoned oak and brown sugar add depth and sweetness. The palate starts by showcasing its age with a deep rooted leather note against sweet tobacco. Traditional notes of caramel and vanilla are added against brown sugar and a range of dark fruits. From here, subtle oak tannins add depth and distinction with just a touch of dryness. Finally, the finish layers in rich aged oak that never goes too far into musty oak territory, which, given its age, is surprising. From there, more sweet brown sugar is once again present with a rise in gentle peppery spice and a hint of funky oak.
This year’s Eagle Rare 17 brings back all the right things it did a decade ago and continues what last year’s release started. For its age, its oak is completely kept in check, and never manages to become too dry or overbearing. With stunning depth that manages to balance power with elegance, this year’s Eagle Rare 17 sets the benchmark for what high-aged bourbon can achieve, making it one of the best bourbons of the year. We’re seeing many more high-aged bourbons released over the past year, but very few have managed to dial it in as well as this year’s Eagle Rare 17 - a truly beautiful bourbon.
