Eagle Rare 10yr - Somebody clue me in?

[JT3NSB]

I have enjoyed ER for a long time now. I read some things a while back something to the effect of BT losing the age statement on the bottles that go to general retail.   The 750 ER that is available around the NC area has no age statement on the label, but the big 1.75's state 10yr on the back of their labels.  They are both around as of now with not much effort to find.    My question is, is there a difference between the juice in these?   

Edited October 20, 2016 by JT3NSB

[Clueby]

The 750 I just bought has 10 year on the rear label.

[garbanzobean]

Are you absolutely sure your 750ml bottles don't have an age statement ANYWHERE on them?  I lost my taste for ER over the past couple years so I haven't been paying much attention to the brand, but I can't find any online reference to Eagle Rare going NAS.  I know that BT/Sazerac have moved the age statement more than once, and that they've removed the single barrel annotation (except for store selections).

[robertckim]

My bottle of ER has the 10 year statement on the back, purchased within the past year.

[Richnimrod]

I bought an ER a month or so ago, with the 10-year claim on the back label.

[Paddy]

You may be confusing when you read that they dropped the SB designation.  As to the age statement, it's on the back..........

[starhopper]

Yep - just bought two the other day - age statement still on the back.

[BDanner]

My understanding is that although they removed the Single Barrel, it is still a Single Barrel bourbon. BT claims that with their new bottling system it is possible for some juice from the previous barrel to make it into the next bottles so they "technically" can't call it single barrel. Did they amend that and simply say it is now blended?

[dcbt]

1 hour ago, BDanner said:

My understanding is that although they removed the Single Barrel, it is still a Single Barrel bourbon. BT claims that with their new bottling system it is possible for some juice from the previous barrel to make it into the next bottles so they "technically" can't call it single barrel. Did they amend that and simply say it is now blended?

Right, that's why they removed the 'single barrel' verbiage, though most bottles are in fact still from a single barrel.  The age statement has moved but still remains on there and they've said they don't plan to remove it for the foreseeable future (but you know how that goes...)

[JT3NSB]

thanks for the insight guys.  so, all ER is 10yr then? 

[Richnimrod]

Just now, JT3NSB said:

thanks for the insight guys.  so, all ER is 10yr then? 

....Until it isn't.    After the switch to the back label, I assumed the age statement would disappear before too long.    ...But, so far; no. 

I hope it continues to say 10 years old, otherwise, what's to differentiate it from Buffalo Trace, other than the bottle shape and brand?

Well, keeping a good thought... It is still ten years old!

[garbanzobean]

32 minutes ago, JT3NSB said:

thanks for the insight guys.  so, all ER is 10yr then? 

There are three options for Eagle Rare.  Just to get us all on the same sheet of music, I am going to delineate them very specifically.  My apologies in advance if you already knew most of this.  It is not my intent to be patronizing.

 

The first and most common is Eagle Rare 10 year.  This is what is usually available.  

 

The second is Eagle Rare 10 year store/private barrel selection.  This is a barrel that a store, on premise account, or other retailer purchases and offers.  Typically, it has a label denoting that it is a private barrel.  I assume Buffalo Trace/Sazerac used to allow retailers to contact them with private barrel requests and the organization purchasing the barrel probably got to pick between some number of barrels.  This is typically how private barrels are done.  Since Buffalo Trace products are in such high demand, I believe the way it works now varies a great deal, but most barrels appear to be take it or leave it type deals.  No choosing between multiple barrels for BT products anymore.  However it happens, the ER private selections are also 10 years old.

 

Finally, one of the limited edition releases that comprise the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is Eagle Rare 17 year.  It is at least 17 years old, but until recently was drawn from barrels that had been tanked at around 19 years of age.  That stock lasted quite a while, and I think was distilled at least 23 or 24 years ago counting back from 2016, but "tank aging" isn't a recognized thing in bourbon, so it was 19 years old.  That said, I believe they have used that stock up (or reallocated it for something else), and are back to dumping barrels directly at 17 years.

 

Hope this clears up any remaining confusion about Eagle Rare!

[JT3NSB]

thanks for all the info. Ill look closer next trip to the abc. I was sure a few didnt have the 10yr not the back, but sounds like I was mistaken.  

[BDanner]

I've only had one bottle of ER10 (about 2 yrs ago) and it was "off". You could tell that all the right notes were there, they were just so unbalanced. I've since determined that based on everything else I read that I got a bottle from a barrel that for some reason, just wasn't good. I've been hesitant to buy another since $30 is near the top of my desired budget and there are so many that I enjoy for the same or less money. Finally decided to buy another bottle yesterday. Will let everyone know what I think. I do know that as recently as 2 years ago, you could walk into any decent ABC store in NC and pick up a bottle of ER10 whenever you felt like it. That has changed. It only shows up once or twice a year now and it doesn't stick around long. I've never seen a Store Selected barrel (though I believe some larger cities ABC's do participate in those) or an ER17. So if you see it in NC, it is probably the standard ER10.

[tanstaafl2]

13 hours ago, garbanzobean said:

Finally, one of the limited edition releases that comprise the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is Eagle Rare 17 year.  It is at least 17 years old, but until recently was drawn from barrels that had been tanked at around 19 years of age.  That stock lasted quite a while, and I think was distilled at least 23 or 24 years ago counting back from 2016, but "tank aging" isn't a recognized thing in bourbon, so it was 19 years old.  That said, I believe they have used that stock up (or reallocated it for something else), and are back to dumping barrels directly at 17 years.

 

Hope this clears up any remaining confusion about Eagle Rare!

 

2010 through 2014 all came from whiskey distilled in 1993. It was 17yo in 2010, 18yo in 2011 and then got tanked at 19 years in 2012 so the 2012 through 2014 were all 19yo. Last year the 2015 went back to 17yo whiskey that was distilled in 1998. I suppose the gap came from what was perceived to be excess whiskey at the time or for whatever reason that just didn't have older whiskey ready to go from 1994 to 1997.

 

I haven't had much luck getting it over the years even though it seems to be less desirable to many perhaps because it is 90 proof. I think it is the BTAC that I have the fewest bottles of left! But I have always enjoyed it when I could get it. Older drier oaked whiskey but not overly oaked to me. Basically slightly older Stagg (Stagg has lately been in the 15-16yo range of late) perhaps selected with a different profile in mind but the same mashbill as Stagg that has been cut down in proof.

[garbanzobean]

Thanks for the expanded details Bruce!  I was going off memory, which is a questionable practice these days.

 

I have exactly one bottle of ER17 bunkered, and it's a 2014.  I try to grab a pour or two of it each year at a bar near my house, though.  It tastes pretty good to me, which is unusual given my preference for 6-10yr bourbons. 

[inf3st]

On 10/20/2016 at 7:29 PM, garbanzobean said:

Since Buffalo Trace products are in such high demand, I believe the way it works now varies a great deal, but most barrels appear to be take it or leave it type deals.  No choosing between multiple barrels for BT products anymore.  However it happens, the ER private selections are also 10 years old.

 

They still send out 3 200ml sample bottles to choose from.

[gmiller598]

On 10/20/2016 at 0:09 PM, BDanner said:

My understanding is that although they removed the Single Barrel, it is still a Single Barrel bourbon. BT claims that with their new bottling system it is possible for some juice from the previous barrel to make it into the next bottles so they "technically" can't call it single barrel. Did they amend that and simply say it is now blended?

If this is true, doesn't that technically also mean that Blanton's is no longer a single barrel either? Having toured there, I believe everything is bottled in the same location.

[VT Mike]

11 minutes ago, gmiller598 said:

If this is true, doesn't that technically also mean that Blanton's is no longer a single barrel either? Having toured there, I believe everything is bottled in the same location.

 

No, the Blanton's is still all bottled in the Albert B. Blanton Bottling Hall, which is set up for single barrel runs. When they expanded production of the Eagle Rare 10 a few years ago they had to start bottling some of it in the main bottling hall. That is in the buildings directly behind the visitor's center, but none of the tours (at least not the Trace Tour or the Hard Hat Tour) go in there. The main bottling hall is more automated / set up for high speed operations, but it has longer lines running from the tanks to the bottling rigs so it's not practical to clear the lines between each barrel. Same reasoning for the age statement moving to the back label, the machines in the main bottling hall have no way of centering the neck labels so the "10" would have been in random positions. The neck labels are put on by hand in the A.B. Blanton bottling hall.

[gmiller598]

18 hours ago, VT Mike said:

 

No, the Blanton's is still all bottled in the Albert B. Blanton Bottling Hall, which is set up for single barrel runs. When they expanded production of the Eagle Rare 10 a few years ago they had to start bottling some of it in the main bottling hall. That is in the buildings directly behind the visitor's center, but none of the tours (at least not the Trace Tour or the Hard Hat Tour) go in there. The main bottling hall is more automated / set up for high speed operations, but it has longer lines running from the tanks to the bottling rigs so it's not practical to clear the lines between each barrel. Same reasoning for the age statement moving to the back label, the machines in the main bottling hall have no way of centering the neck labels so the "10" would have been in random positions. The neck labels are put on by hand in the A.B. Blanton bottling hall.

Ah, that makes sense since that bottling hall is a little small anyway. I didn't realize that Eagle Rare was producing more since it is still a bit hard to find here in Ohio. Usually if I can find an Eagle Rare, there is also a Blanton's in stock too. Thanks for clarifying.