Eagle Rare 17 Year Bourbon 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

The 2025 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old delivers an elegant, deeply matured profile rare in modern bourbons. With an age-statement of 17 years (and barrels aged up to 18 years 4 months) and bottled at 101 proof, it strikes a refined balance of rich oak, dark fruit and signature Buffalo Trace depth—ideal for serious sipping and contemplation.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Distilled at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, this expression uses Mash Bill No. 1 (high corn, low rye) and is part of the Antique Collection’s annual release of ultra-mature, hand-selected barrels. For 2025, the bourbon is bottled at 101 proof (50.5% ABV) and includes barrels aged as long as 18 years and 4 months, exceeding the stated 17 year age. The result is a masterful expression of long ageing in American charred oak, with decades of evaporation and concentration shaping the final spirit.

Critics Reviews

• Bourbon writer Eric Burke described this 2025 release as “dark tobacco and well-worn leather on the nose, bright cherry beneath the surface, and a supple caramel-vanilla finish with oak tannin that still retains elegance at 101 proof.”

• Spirits journalist Orlando Lima noted that “Eagle Rare 17 remains Buffalo Trace’s experiment in extended ageing; this year you taste the extra years through mature oak, brown sugar, walnut shell and a whisper of black pepper, without the harshness of over-proofing.”

• A tasting panel at Whisky Advocate remarked: “Despite its age, the bourbon remains lively—vanilla, maple and a crack of peppery spice balance the long wood contact. One of the best-aged low-proof bourbons produced this year.”

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Deep amber-gold hue. Aromas of rich caramel, dark cherry, antique oak, tobacco leaf and subtle walnut shell.

• Palate: Medium-to-full body; chopped dark fruit (black cherry, plum), brown sugar, roasted oak, vanilla-bean, light baking spice (cinnamon) and a faint echo of pepper.

• Finish: Long and refined; seasoned oak tannins carry into vanilla-cream, leather, dried fruit and a lingering warm note of black tea or cocoa nibs.

Quick Overview