Buffalo Trace releases oldest Eagle Rare ever

The 25-year-old Bourbon is the first release from Warehouse P, one of Buffalo Trace’s two experimental warehouses.

Buffalo Trace is once again setting the benchmark for luxury Bourbon with the release of Eagle Rare 25, the oldest expression in the Eagle Rare portfolio to date.

The Bourbon is the first release from Warehouse P, one of Buffalo Trace’s two experimental warehouses, where the brand tests how a variety of factors such as barrel char levels, temperature, airflow, light, and barrel placement impact ageing and maturation.

“When crafting whiskey in conditions like those we experience in Kentucky, two reactions happen over time: more liquid is lost due to evaporation—also known as the angel’s share—and extraction of flavours from the barrel becomes more intense, often leading older whiskeys to taste over-oaked, astringent and dry,” Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley said.

“The unique set of ageing conditions in Warehouse P has allowed us to create a 25-year-old Bourbon that smooths out the extractions and highlights the desirable flavours found in ultra-aged American whiskey products.”

Eagle Rare 25 is bottled at 50.5% ABV and priced at US$10,000 (£8,200). Approximately 200 bottles will be released globally at select retailers, restaurants and bars.

To commemorate reaching its silver anniversary of 25 years, each bottle features a hand-hammered sterling silver wing encasing a hand-blown crystal decanter.

Warehouse P was purpose-built to test if it was possible to extend the ageing and maturation processes typical for American whiskey and Bourbon. Since Bourbon requires the use of a new charred oak vessel, conventional wisdom says that the optimal age is around 12 years, with older releases becoming over-oaked with extended exposure to wood.

“Eagle Rare 25 defies the conventional limits of typical bourbon ageing,” Wheatley said. “We closely monitored Eagle Rare 25 throughout the ageing process and discovered that the impact over time due to controlled, extended ageing was optimally mature whiskey – by that, I mean whiskey that is uniquely smooth and complex with deep, mature flavours around every corner.”

The ultra-aged Eagle Rare 25 joins a line-up that includes the standard Eagle Rare 10-year-old, Double Eagle Very Rare, and Eagle Rare 17-year-old, which is released each fall as part of the highly coveted Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The 2023 release of Eagle Rare 17 was the oldest in the collection’s 23-year history, bottled at 19 years and three months.