The 2012 whiskey follows the recipe and process that recur on each Eagle Rare 17 fact sheet from 2010 to 2016. Buffalo Trace lists Kentucky corn (distillers grade #1 and #2) as the large grain, Minnesota rye as the small grain and North Dakota malted barley as the finish grain; a #10 milling screen; a 240°F cook in Kentucky limestone water with reverse osmosis; sour-mash fermentation in carbon steel / black iron; and double distillation in a beer still and doubler to 135 proof. The new make went into new white oak barrels from Independent Stave (Lebanon, Kentucky), charred #4 for 55 seconds and holding 53 liquid gallons, at 125 proof in the spring of 1993. For 2012, 23 barrels from the second, third and sixth floors of Warehouses I and K were selected by taste, chill filtered and bottled at 90 proof after 19 years and 1 month.

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.

How old is the 2012 Eagle Rare 17?

Nineteen years and one month at bottling. Buffalo Trace's fact sheet dates the 2012 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old to spring-1993 distillation; the bottle carries the 17-year statement and 90 proof (45% ABV).

What does the 2012 Eagle Rare 17 taste like?

The distillery's tasting comment for the 2012 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old is “Dry and delicate. Hints of leather, almonds and tobacco.” Where Buffalo Trace's 2011 comment named vanilla, the 2012 note names almonds; leather and tobacco appear in both.

Where was the 2012 Eagle Rare 17 aged?

In Warehouses I and K at Buffalo Trace Distillery, on the second, third and sixth floors. By bottling, 54.2% of the original whiskey in those barrels had been lost to evaporation, according to the 2012 fact sheet for Eagle Rare 17.