Eagle Rare 17-Year Bourbon 2008

Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (2008 Antique Collection)

Price

$2,499.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: 17 Years | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA | Proof: 90.0

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Barrels

67.28%

Evaporated

1991

Distilled

Years at Bottling

Proof

45%

ABV

Sixty-two barrels, each picked by hand, went into the fall 2008 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, distilled by Buffalo Trace in the spring of 1991 and bottled 17 years later at 90.0 proof (45% ABV). Of that fall's five Antique Collection whiskeys, only this bourbon and Sazerac 18 Year Old were at 90 proof.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

62 barrels, hand-picked, make up the release.

Distilled spring 1991, seventeen years old at bottling, the age on the label.

67.28% evaporated: close to two thirds of the original whiskey.

The other three ran from 125.3 proof (William Larue Weller) through 127.5 (Thomas H. Handy) to 141.8 (George T. Stagg).

Nº 02

From Spring 1991 to Fall 2008

The batch, stage by stage

1991

Distilled in the spring

Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye and North Dakota malted barley, sour mashed and brought off the doubler at 135 proof.

125

Barrel entry proof

Into new Independent Stave white oak, charred 55 seconds to a #4 char, 53 liquid gallons a barrel.

Years in wood

From the spring of 1991 to the fall of 2008.

90.0

Bottling proof

Sixty-two barrels chosen by hand, chill filtered and bottled as the fall 2008 release.

Nº 03

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Almond, caramel & leather

Sensory Profile

Almonds, caramel and leather, with a dry finish: that is Buffalo Trace's tasting comment for the 2008 release. Caramel and leather also appear on the 2004, 2005 and 2006 sheets; almonds and a finish do not.

Strategic Position

The nearest years on our shelf sit two releases away on either side: the single-warehouse 2006, eighteen years old at bottling, and Eagle Rare 17 as released in 2010. In its own year, Sazerac 18, the set's other 90-proof whiskey, stood beside it.

Nº 04

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

The Retailer Letter

September 8, 2008 is the date Buffalo Trace put on its letter to the retailers of this release.

→

This Bottle

Beside a 17 Years Old panel, this bottle's front label reads 45% Alc/Vol (90 Proof) and Product of Kentucky, with a 90 Proof strip down the left side and a Bottled line filled in by hand; the neck wears a navy capsule.

Collector IndexER17 · Fall 2008

Release: Fall 2008 Antique Collection
Distilled: Spring 1991
Age at bottling: 17 years
Proof: 90.0 (45% ABV)
Barrels: 62, picked by hand
Evaporation: 67.28%
Filtration: Chill filtered

See it alongside each Antique Collection release we list, year by year.

Nº 05

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Whiskey	Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Release	Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, fall 2008
Distiller	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Franklin County, Kentucky
Distilled	Spring 1991
Age	17 years old at bottling
Proof / ABV	90.0 proof (45% ABV)
Mash bill	Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye and North Dakota malted barley
Barrel	New white oak, #4 char (55 seconds), filled at 125 proof
Warehouses	K, Q, H and I (fact sheet) or C (release announcement) [verify]
Evaporation loss	67.28% of the original whiskey
Barrels	62, picked by hand
Filtration	Chill filtered
Format	750 mL

Nº 06

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

According to the 2008 fact sheet, the whiskey began as distillers-grade Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye and North Dakota malted barley, fermented as a sour mash in carbon steel and black iron after milling through a #10 screen and cooking at 240°F in reverse-osmosis-treated Kentucky limestone water. Double distillation brought it to 135 proof, and it was barreled at 125 proof, 66.25 original proof gallons to a barrel. Seventeen years later Buffalo Trace picked 62 of those barrels, chill filtered the bourbon and bottled it at 90.0 proof.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many years did the 2008 Eagle Rare 17 spend in the barrel?

Seventeen. Spring 1991 distillate went into the fall 2008 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, and Buffalo Trace's fact sheet gives the bourbon's age at bottling as 17 years, the age printed on the label. By bottling, evaporation had taken 67.28% of the original whiskey.

What proof is the 2008 Eagle Rare 17?

Buffalo Trace bottled the fall 2008 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon at 90.0 proof, 45% ABV, after chill filtration. A decade later, the 2018 release took Eagle Rare 17 to 101 proof.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Eagle Rare 17 · Fall 2008

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The Elemental Distinction