Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 95 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 50.5% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $144.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-11-06 |
Eagle Rare 17 Year-Old Bourbon 2024 Review
Eagle Rare 17 is one of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection’s most sought-after bottles. That said, I’ve personally found it one of the most unpredictable, with some true surprises over the last few releases.
Of course, surprises are often a good thing, and the 2023 ER 17 nearly blew me (and many other reviewers) away. A remarkably bold yet elegantly balanced whiskey, that previous release was among my favorite American whiskeys last year, and VinePair’s staff selected it as the best bourbon of 2023. It also happened to be the oldest Eagle Rare 17 ever released, with liquid clocking in at 19 years, 3 months.
The 2024 version is closer to its namesake age statement, coming in at 17 years, 4 months old and bottled at the familiar 101 proof. The whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2007. That still makes it easily the oldest bourbon in this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
Let’s see how this year’s Eagle Rare 17 stacks up!
Eagle Rare 17 Year-Old Bourbon 2024: Stats and Availability
Like all Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottles for 2024, Eagle Rare 17 carries an MSRP of around $150, up $25 from 2023. Of course, seasoned bourbon hunters know that suggested retail price is often far from what these bottles actually command at retail. While Buffalo Trace doesn’t release exact bottle counts these days, it’s generally believed Eagle Rare 17 is one of the rarer BTAC expressions, which can further increase listed prices. I often see these bottles on shelves for over $1,000. They’re also a popular item for liquor store raffles, where bourbon-obsessed customers can vie for the right to purchase the bottle at suggested retail. Good luck!
Eagle Rare 17 Year-Old Bourbon 2024 Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
Last year’s Eagle Rare 17 kicked things off with a hefty dose of chocolate covered cherries, and I’m pleased to report we’re off to a similar start here. Fruit and chocolate make for a potent early combo, with syrup-soaked peaches, cooked pears, and golden raisins developing quickly. Just behind those notes comes chocolate lava cake, the molten ganache and dusted confectioner’s sugar both vying for attention.
Eventually, tart cherry juice dominates those fruity elements; subtle sweetness builds to more sour/tangy — going so far as candy peach rings and a hint of apple cider vinegar— which bridges the scents to a much more tannic next act.
It’s dessert at first sniff, but even this “younger” Eagle Rare 17 acts its age after some time in the glass. Toasted wood staves and damp charcoal provide an altogether oaky backbone, and fresh white pepper both cools and bristles the nostrils with robust spice. Eventually, oak ensconces almost every other perceptible aroma.
At 101 proof, Eagle Rare 17 doesn’t come close to nosing “hot,” but it still has far more to say than most barrel proof bourbons at much higher ABVs. I spent so long here that I almost forgot to get sipping. (Wouldn’t that be a tragedy!)
Taste
The first sip practically explodes with cinnamon-spiced baked apples, so much that it’s difficult to identify much else. A second sip only gets sweeter. Pronounced rye spice pairs with early cooked orchard fruit and a drizzle of caramel sweetness for an uncanny resemblance to candy apples.
It takes three or four sips to move beyond that initial note. (Though to be fair, I’m not exactly in a rush after that pleasant burst of flavor.) By the midpalate, we’ve moved to apple-caramel lollipops, and then finally some oak and very sweet pipe tobacco. Ripe cantaloupe and honeydew linger toward the upper palate, again providing some tartness to balance that almost continuous caramel. Nutmeg and allspice are more prominent than pepper here, lending just a touch of rye spice. (I wouldn’t have complained if there had been even more.)
While it’s noticeably less complex than 2023’s bottling, this version of Eagle Rare 17 showcases a handful of flavors extraordinarily well. The range might be slightly narrower, but there’s certainly no lack of intrigue in this ludicrously drinkable dram.
Finish
Dried, sugar-coated papaya leads the finish. After that, we’ve got a welcome one-two combo of barrel char and more tobacco, a strong-enough reminder of this bourbon’s significant age. I added a couple drops of water to see if it impacted the finish, but frankly, it only disrupted the balance of tannins and fruit. Eagle Rare 17 drinks much better at its given 101 proof, maintaining a great mouthfeel all the way through a lengthy and satisfying finish. It goes down plenty easy as is.
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon Rating
95/100
Recap
The latest Eagle Rare 17 is great bourbon. To me, it comes just a hair short of hitting last year’s complex highs, which is one of the toughest bars to clear in American whiskey. If you’re lucky enough to score a bottle — or simply purchase a single dram — enjoy, and make sure to take some time to log the memory. I’m already getting excited about next year’s version.
*Image retrieved from Buffalo Trace Distillery
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