Exploring the story behind the experimental limited-edition release – this ultimate guide explains everything you need to know about Eagle Rare 25.
What Is Eagle Rare 25?
Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley, announced, “Eagle Rare 25 is unlike any other extra-aged bourbon on the market today”.
The Eagle Rare brand was first created in 1975, by Charles L. Beam, the Master Distiller at Seagram’s Four Roses Distillery, with the original Eagle Rare 10 Year Old expression initially bottled at 101 proof (50.5% ABV).
Eagle Rare passed between several owners before the brand was acquired by the Sazerac Company in 1989, with the bourbon subsequently produced at Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace distillery.
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Where Is The Bourbon Produced?
Buffalo Trace’s history stretches across 200 years, and although the distillery’s name and owners have changed over time the commitment to the production of quality premium whiskey has endured. In 1992, the then-named George T. Stagg Distillery was purchased by the Sazerac Company, which would undertake seven years of renovations before rechristening the site as the Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1999.
For maturation, barrels destined to be bottled as Eagle Rare are typically aged on the cooler first and second warehouse levels.
Whilst whiskey matured on the warehouse’s hotter upper levels extract greater color and flavors from the cask wood resulting in a more robust bourbon, the cooler lower levels are ideal for producing longer aged smoother bourbon – such as Eagle Rare’s 10 Year Old and 17 Year Old expressions. Eagle Rare’s core expression casks are matured in Buffalo Trace’s C, I, K, M, and Q warehouses.
Why Is The Expression Considered ‘Experimental’?
The Eagle Rare 25 is the first release from Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse P, an experimental aging location where almost every environmental factor is controlled by the distillery. Buffalo Trace has invested $20 million into the multi-decade experimental program, testing various factors that affect the maturation of whiskey, whilst assessing the impact on the resulting aromas and flavor profile.
The climate-controlled Warehouse P allows Buffalo Trace to vary environmental aspects including, humidity, temperature, airflow, and light during maturation – and has a storage capacity of 2,500 barrels. Buffalo Trace has also experimented with casks crafted from different species of white oak, and varying the level of barrel charring.
The Eagle Rare 25 Year Old initially underwent a conventional maturation for 20 years, with the casks selected from stocks originally intended for bottling as the 17 Year Old expression. After an additional three years of standard maturation, Eagle Rare 25 was moved to the newly completed Warehouse P in 2018, for a further 5 years of experimental ‘controlled aging’.
Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley, states “Eagle Rare 25 defies the conventional limits of typical bourbon aging”, as the special aging environment helped create “whiskey that is uniquely smooth and complex, with deep, mature flavors”, demonstrating the characteristics of age, but without astringency.
How Much Is Eagle Rare 25?
As a limited-edition release numbering only 200 bottles, Eagle Rare 25 has a recommended retail price of $10,000. Each Eagle Rare 25 is presented in a hand-blown crystal decanter encased by a hand-hammered custom sterling silver eagle’s wing. Opening the display case depicts an eagle’s outstretched wings framing the bourbon decanter, which also contains an elegant glass eagle inside the bottle.
Whilst it can be difficult to determine the long-term value of aged bourbon across collector’s markets, the previous oldest Eagle Rare expression, Double Eagle 20 Year Old was originally released with a retail price of $2000 – with the collectible decanter subsequently achieving $10,000 on the secondary whiskey market.
In February 2024, Forbes reported that despite a recommended retail price of $10,000, sales of Eagle Rare 25 at $25,000 had been reported in some markets.
