Let’s talk about Eagle Rare.

Both of them.

Buffalo Trace has been on a tear with expansions and new releases, and the Eagle Rare family is right in the middle of it. The 10 Year has been a staple for years. The 12 Year dropped in June 2025 and immediately had people asking whether it was worth chasing. I’ve had both. Here’s where I land.

The 10 Year

90 proof. Ten years old. Buffalo Trace Mashbill 1, which means less than 10 percent rye. Low rye, corn forward, and it drinks exactly like that.

Plenty of smoke on the fresh crack. Always a fun detail on a fresh pop.

The nose on this thing is genuinely lovely. Grape soda, honey, graham cracker, caramel, a little apple suckers. VOC is present, vanilla and oak up front with that caramel running underneath. There’s a baked apple quality to it that’s really pleasant and easy to pick apart. One of the more accessible noses in the Buffalo Trace lineup.

The palate is sweet and straightforward. Brown sugar, a little baked apple, some oak. No Kentucky hug here, which at 90 proof makes sense. It finishes oily, a little apple baking spice, and then it’s gone. The finish doesn’t linger and that’s honestly my main issue with this bottle. I like higher proof pours and I like a finish that sticks around. This one clocks out early.

That said, at retail it’s hard to argue with what’s in the glass. Distillery price is right around $43. There is exactly one spot in Colorado Springs that still has these sitting at $40.99 and no I am not telling you where that is. My ceiling on the 10 Year is $50. Above that you’re paying for the label and the hunt more than the bourbon, and at 90 proof that math doesn’t work for me personally.

A pour is worth $5 to $10. If you’re paying $10 to $15 somewhere it’s still reasonable given how hard these are to find. Anything over $20 for a pour and we need to have a different conversation.

Secondary is running up to $120 in some markets. Don’t do it. The juice is good but it is not $120 juice.

The 12 Year

95 proof. Twelve years old. Same Mashbill 1. Same distillery. $49.99 MSRP, though the lowest I’ve personally seen it in the wild is $53.99, and whether that store holds that price going forward is anyone’s guess. I’ll be honest, I’ve gotten lucky a few times and paid close to cost through a relationship I’ve built with a spot I trust. I’m spoiled and I know it.

Nice pop. Plenty of smoke. Noticeably darker in the glass than the 10 Year right out of the gate.

The nose is immediately different. Still very VOC, still that classic Buffalo Trace grape note that gives it away every time, but there’s a vanilla richness here that hits differently. Just vanilla pouring off the glass. Very sweet, a little oily on the nose, and a light milky chocolate note underneath all of it that I wasn’t expecting. Really inviting.

The palate is where the extra two years and five proof points do their work. First sip is a punch of vanilla that rushes down the palate and then disappears. Gone. Second sip, same thing. That grape note, a little of that milk chocolate, and then it just vanishes. It drinks like a sub-100 proofer, which at 95 proof isn’t surprising, but worth noting because you’re not going to feel this one.

It’s better than the 10 Year. Clearly. The nose is more complex, the palate has more depth, and the brown sugar warmth carries further into the finish along with some oak and baking spice. If you’re a Buffalo Trace person this is an easy upgrade.

On price. MSRP at $49.99 is exactly where this should be. My personal buy-it-without-thinking price is $70 or under. For the general public I’d say $100 is the ceiling before you start doing math in your head. Last time this popped up on local secondary it was $125. Nationally it’s sitting around $178 to $200. At those numbers you are absolutely paying for the label and not the bourbon. It’s a great bottle. It’s not a $200 bottle.

So Is Eagle Rare Still Worth It in 2026?

At retail, yes. Both of them.

The 10 Year at $43 to $50 is a genuinely solid bottle that punches above its weight for newer bourbon drinkers and anyone who loves a sweet, approachable pour. The 12 Year at $50 to $70 is a step up in every meaningful category and worth seeking out if you haven’t tried it yet.

The problem, as always with anything wearing a Buffalo Trace label, is that retail is becoming harder and harder to define. Store owners know what these are worth and they’re pricing accordingly. The secondary market is out of hand on the 10 Year and the 12 Year is already trending that direction fast.

Quite frankly the juice in both bottles is good. The value is there at MSRP. The moment you start paying secondary prices the math stops working and you’re just paying for the name on the label.

Find it at retail. Buy it at retail. Enjoy it at retail.

That’s all I got.