Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

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Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby Mike » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:42 pm

I had a sip of Eagle Rare Single Barrel, the first in a long time, and was just blown away by it soft sophistication.

It occured to me that its profile is not that different from a great favorite of mine, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. Each has a sweet entry that is almost delicate. They both easily glide across the mouth with an elan that might be compared to a sparce but delicious meal whose satisfaction derives from all the things it holds in suspense.

They are like the beautiful woman whose charms are always just out of reach...........and all the more aluring and compelling for that very reason. Nothing is consumated with these whiskies, all is ever in anticipation. They are delicate in the sense that a mere nod in this or that direction can upset the balance........they never give such a nod. They never take a trail that would give away their secret or reveal their mystery.

Our desires can never be satisfied, the harder we try the more they elude us, tease us, mock us...........what can we do? I do not know.

Yet, the beautiful woman, the delicious meal, the wonderful whiskey remain directly in our path and cannot, and should not, be avoided. If for only a moment I can admire the woman, taste the meal, and enjoy the whiskey. The best of these (which we must not try to own as a possession) do not tease or mock (that is for the cheap and imitative which are aimed directly at the possessive among us), nor do they really 'satisfy'............but they please and touch us at a profound level.

If it was in your mind that the spirits produced by the world's great civilizations were only about a decent sip or worse yet, getting drunk, leave that behind you. The efforts of the great distillers, vintners, and brewers (past and present) were never directed to that purpose.........that has always been easy to achieve. T'was something else they were ever after, and neither the cost of the product nor its age will ever be a perfect guide to its achievement. It is only the palates of its loving adherents that can stamp a spirit as great.

I offer two, Eagle Rare Single Barrel and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, each in the $40 range, as examples of great spirits, even knowing that as single barrels there will be some inconsistencies in the quality.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby DeanSheen » Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:10 am

I read your missive with great interest. Early on in my recent bourbon quest I had some ER 10/90 and it sticks with me many other bottles later. It still does not disappoint with every new purchase and I am grateful it is readily available and only 29 dollars here.

Unfortunately for me it is a bit of a benchmark for every day pours an it's that 25-35 dollar sweet spot that I most covet from distillers. This is a range that seems to be endangered and I fear that in the future new product introductions in this segment will be few and far between. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy this lovey pour as it has an essence that I surely covet.
--- Robert in meatspace. (NE OH)
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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby gillmang » Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:00 am

I would urge examination of many current HH labels that offer experiences similar to what Mike describes. The current Fighting Cock (really) is a fine whiskey that deserves the appellation of subtle despite its high proof. Oddly, I have never warmed, unlike Mike and Robert, to the Eagle Rare mentioned; I shall have to investigate anew, perhaps I was unlucky in the particular bottles tried (just a couple in recent years).

Buffalo Trace bourbon also is very good, perhaps a little lighter-bodied than the two Mike mentioned, but also gaining due to its age which is I believe 10-11 years old - even if younger today it would stlll be surely at least 8 years old.

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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby charismajc » Sat Feb 06, 2010 4:28 am

You know, it's funny how you mentioned that the ER and JD single have similiar profiles. An employee from a local liquor store mentioned that their barrel of ER is the SAME juice as JD single. I thought he was crazy, but he was pretty insistent. Is this possible?
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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby bourbonv » Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:20 am

In this case I would have toi say the liquor store employee is wrong. Different companies making the products, which does not guarantee that they are not the same whiskey since there is a lot more selling amongst the distilleries than they would like you to know, but the fact that it is different states here using different styles of whiskey. I can not see Jack Daniels ever purchasing Kentucky bourbon to put into their bottles of Tennessee Whiskey.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby PaulO » Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:23 pm

I think ETL is another one to compare with ER.
Gary, If you like Fighting Cock, you should try the Ezra Brooks 90. :)
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Re: Jack Daniel's SB and Eagle Rare SB

Unread postby sailor22 » Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:07 am

I tried ER a couple years ago and apparently missed the subtleties Mike describes. A revisit a couple months ago confirmed my initial impressions. Sounds like I will have to try some from another barrel. For me the ER17 I have tried more closely fits Mikes description -- if only it were $30 and generally available.
I really like Fighting Cock and think it is tremendous value. I doubt many agree but I prefer it to the current WT101. I'll have to pick up some Ezra Brooks 90 and give it a try.
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