bad bottle of Eagle Rare 10

[BoyScout]

Last night, with cigars in hand a neighbor and I opened a recently purchased (sometime in 2014) bottle of ER10. Something was not right and neither of us could drink it. We tried fresh glasses and left off the ice. Still no good. Can bourbon turn? Can it go bad? ER10 and Old Scout are by usual favorites so I'm used to the flavor profiles of both of these. Since we couldn't continue with the ER my neighbor had a bottle of Woodford so the evening was not lost. Should I comment to my local store or call Buffalo Trace to report this?

[dcbt]

Was it the single barrel or new version?

[BoyScout]

I have three bottles including this open one and none of them say "single barrel" anymore. When did this change occur? I am oblivious to this. So I guess these are the new ones.

[amg]

Sounds like most likely cork taint.

[dcbt]

I have three bottles including this open one and none of them say "single barrel" anymore. When did this change occur? I am oblivious to this. So I guess these are the new ones.

Earlier this summer I guess it was. The new neck label will have just stars on it now.

[fricky]

I would contact your store as well as Buffalo Trace. Save the remainder. If your store and Buffalo Trace have serious customer service they may want to taste it to identify the root cause of the problem.

[jmj_203]

And let us know how it all turns out after you contact Buffalo Trace and your local bottle shop about the issue. BT can raise prices and cry shortages, lets see if they can handle customer service as well ;-) They should take care of you.

[squire]

By all means return it to the store, get a replacement or refund, and let them contact Buffalo Trace.

[amg]

Earlier this summer I guess it was. The new neck label will have just stars on it now.

[B.B. Babington]

or try another day. ER10 used to be a regular and I found it consistently good till a big 1.75 wasn't. But tried it another day and, though different and perhaps not as good, it was still okay... and soon gone.

[petrel800]

Does it smell and taste of old wet musty cardboard? That is typically what you get from a "corked" bottle of wine.

[squire]

Corked was my first thought, which doesn't happen often but it does happen.

[BoyScout]

spoke to my local store owner, going over there tomorrow, will report after that.

[suntour]

I don't know how many bottles of eagle rare you've had over the years but honestly it's about my least favorite dram. When reading the OP I thought "that's just how it is." I've had some good er10 in the past, but only a store selected bottle that had been open a month.

[BoyScout]

Update - I went to my favorite store and had the owner try my bottle. I really wanted another opinion as taste is very subjective. We've spoken about many bottles over the last couple of years. I've taken some rare bottles he has sold me and shared them just so he could experience what he is selling. Unfortunately those rare bottles are a thing of the past. Anyway, I digress. He is very open about profiles and recipe preferences, took his time and we talked back and forth a lot about what I had tasted. He couldn't find what I had reported two night ago.

So, I decided to continue my tasting and comparison and this afternoon and opened another ER10 bottle. No change. But, this time all I could say is that both bottles are harsh compared to what I was expecting. Editorial note - I prefer high-rye bourbons and straight ryes so the spice bomb is expected and enjoyed. Also, I got started on ER back in 2008 with a bottle of ER17. Those were the days.

Back to the ER10. Yes, the vanilla, cinnamon, and general spice are there, but the off-color stale taste wasn't. This time it was harsh but drinkable. Back in Alabama I think I have an older bottle of ER10, the one labeled "single barrel" but a comparison to that will have to wait a week or so till I get there. For now all I can say is this . . .

- it isn't the cork, though natural it is firm, not discolored, and doesn't smell

- it may be the old versus the new bottles. Since I don't have any date codes to tell them apart, and a better old-to-new test has to wait till I can get to the old bottle. I can't pin this on a lot/barrel/batch number.

- the two new bottles taste the same so the issue isn't with one bottle.

- since I can't find ER17 anymore I had thought ER10 would be one of my "every-day bourbons" along with Old Scout 6, 7, or 10. Now I'm not sure. I've got my annual camping trip coming up next month which may be a good time to drain my ER10 stock and never look back. Time to keep experimenting to figure out what my standard of comparison will be. ER10 is off the shopping list for now.

- I do have an ER17 2006 and 2012 bunkered for a special event. That will be a very special day.

- I will share these notes with my local store and find a way to contact Buffalo Trace and let them know of my experience. If I get any response I'll post it here. Good bourbon takes time to age so I don't expect instant responses from the bottlers.

[garbanzobean]

Since you have two open, I suggest you try a little experiment:

(Assuming you don't have any youngins running around your house and can leave a bottle open safely) Give one of your bottles a few flips. Set it back down on your bar and take the cork off. Step away. Come back in 24 hrs. Put the cork back in, shake once. Open up, do a side by side with a small pour of that and your "Control" Eagle Rare. Since you don't particularly like what you're tasting as of now, it's not going to hurt anything to leave the top off one of them for a night. If you sense some improvement but still aren't happy, try it again for another night. If it made the bourbon worse, there's always manhattans.

Alternatively: Have you changed anything major about your diet or started taking any kind of medication since the last time you had a bottle of ER10? Is it possible you're a bit under the weather? People underestimate such things, but they can cause drastic changes in your senses of smell and taste.

[BoyScout]

The youngest member of the family is my son-in-law who is learning all about whiskey and cigars from me. No worries there.

Ok, simple enough experiment. Shaken, not stirred, and now left on a shelf in the closet with the cork off. Next installment will be tomorrow night.

Diet or lifestyle? I recently read Grain Brain, trying to cut back on processed carbs and sugars, emphasizing meat, fish, and fats. Nothing radical. I also just came back from a quick trip to Calgary where I realized my penchant for rye is reflected in some of the better quality Canadians. I've found Crown Royal Black to be quite good and I have a few more waiting to be opened.

Jim

[garbanzobean]

The youngest member of the family is my son-in-law who is learning all about whiskey and cigars from me. No worries there.

Ok, simple enough experiment. Shaken, not stirred, and now left on a shelf in the closet with the cork off. Next installment will be tomorrow night.

Diet or lifestyle? I recently read Grain Brain, trying to cut back on processed carbs and sugars, emphasizing meat, fish, and fats. Nothing radical. I also just came back from a quick trip to Calgary where I realized my penchant for rye is reflected in some of the better quality Canadians. I've found Crown Royal Black to be quite good and I have a few more waiting to be opened.

Jim

Excellent! I'm eager to hear if this helps or hurts. I personally think some agitation and air time helps smooth out rough bourbon, but I don't ever have more than one bottle open at a time to get a slightly more scientific answer. Hope it works out positively for you.

P.S.- congrats on having a son in law who has seen the light. My father in law is happy to drink whatever I give him, but doesn't waste too much energy on nuances. And my daughter is still in her mama's belly, so it'll be a long while before I have to worry about a son in law.

Edited September 10, 2014 by garbanzobean

[sutton]

Ok, simple enough experiment. Shaken, not stirred, and now left on a shelf in the closet with the cork off. Next installment will be tomorrow night.

Depending on how that closet smells, you might want to put it on the kitchen counter.

[BoyScout]

News flash - the experiment has been stopped. My email to Buffalo Trace was answered right away and they want the bottle back for analysis with a refund to come. Stay tuned!

[Clavius]

News flash - the experiment has been stopped. My email to Buffalo Trace was answered right away and they want the bottle back for analysis with a refund to come. Stay tuned!

Wow. That's actually impressive.

[flahute]

News flash - the experiment has been stopped. My email to Buffalo Trace was answered right away and they want the bottle back for analysis with a refund to come. Stay tuned!

jmj_203 will be disappointed that BT did the right thing and didn't give him another reason to hate them.

Though I was looking forward to the results of the experiment, I'm glad to see that they are taking care of you without hassle.

[Capn Jimbo]

Well and good, but please do report what the airing out accomplished, if anything... tx.

[BoyScout]

Time for an update.

- BT came through as promised, sending out a FedEx box with a return label which I used to send the bottle back. A refund check arrived shortly after that.

- I closed the email loop with them, nothing specific to report, only that the sample "matches standard". Case closed.

- Back to the airing test. Since they replied so quickly I put the cork back in the "issue" bottle right away. Then, since I have two other bottles with the new label and one with the old 10 Year label I decided to continue the test. The bottle I had open with the new label was subjected to the shake, turn, and air protocol and tasted 24 hours later. I have to say it didn't make a difference. What did help however was adding ice, giving it time to melt and tasting again. This clearly mellowed out the bottle though the profile was still evident.

- Then last weekend I got to the older 10 year label bottle. It is clearly better but I have to say the change is one of degree. It was smoother but the taste profile was still there. Water alone doesn't answer this for me as I like barrel proof and hi-proof labels. Thus far my results are inconclusive.

- The last thing I can do is take the last "new" bottle I have, set it up side-by-side with the old and invite some friends over for further testing.