Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Single Barrel Select - Aged 10 Years
Schneider's of Capitol Hill Hand Selected
45% ABV
$30
Color:
Ruddy gold, and also a little bit hazy.
Smell:
Not very big on the nose at all - I'm not picking up much of anything. A little bit of wood spice comes into play, as well as a slight bit of corn sweetness and a flintiness/stone quality that's far in the background. Definitely not the prominent flavors I was expecting given the 10 year age statement. Seriously, this makes Overholt smell like Booker's.
Taste:
No big initial rush of anything. It's pretty mild-mannered, soft, and balanced. Once I introduce some air via slurping, I picked up a little mintiness/menthol quality, and the finish brings in a little bit of sweet warmth. Pretty short finish, though - the flavor quickly dissipates.
Overall:
Meh. It's very smooth and easy to drink and there's nothing inherently wrong with it per se, but I was a little disappointed in the lack of depth. It's a little flat for me and - unlike the recently reviewed mild single malt whiskey Westland where I found myself pondering and discovering new flavors - this Eagle Rare is (for me) too subdued. I buy bourbon because I love bourbon notes - corn, vanilla, wood, maple syrup, depth, punch - and this is just fell short of delivering. That said, because it's so mild, it could work for folks who don't like a big whiskey or for mixing in cocktails.
What others have said (keep in mind this is a private selection; I'm just curious to see what else is out there):
Crazy to me that Jason Pyle at Sour Mash Manifesto had a bottle that seems to be the polar opposite of mine. Amazing that the same distillate in presumably the same warehouse and same seasons can result in such radically different whiskies:
- "This one is a big bruiser of a bourbon opening up with a lot of barrel char, oak, vanilla, caramel, and some moderate spice on the nose. Not a whole lot of finesse here, and really gives you some “pop”. It drinks a good bit stronger than it’s 45% alcohol or 90 proof might indicate. The first sip (or chew) yields a lot of burned sugar & caramel, along with maple syrup, light mint, dry spice notes, and some resiny grip (tannin) and char. The mouth feel is thick and coats well leading to a long finish of vanilla, oaky dryness, and some light tingle on the tongue. Perhaps a bit “loose” around the edges but I respect it’s rough and tumble ways and recommend this bourbon."
Lastly, a cool comparison over at Sipp'n Corn between a few different 10 year whiskies: Michter's, Eagle Rare, and Bulleit. The tasting notes for Eagle Rare roughly mirror my own experience, so I think it could be valuable to think about what appeals to different palates (not that you'll be able to predict which single barrel expression you'll receive if you buy it!):
- "The first glass [Eagle Rare] was a favorite of many of our tasters right away. The nose was light and not particularly complex, but pleasant. Common tasting notes included a nice balance of oaky and sweet flavors. The finish was dry and short to medium."
