This might be the Michael Phelps of Bourbon. Eagle Rare has won the double gold metal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition five times (and was the first bourbon ever to do so). It can be found (sometimes and if you're lucky), in 10-year, 17-year, and Double Eagle Very Rare editions. 📚 Background: Originally introduced in 1975 as a 101 proof 10-year bourbon by Seagram's, Eagle Rare was an early foray into single barrel bourbons and was designed to compete directly with Wild Turkey 101. Eventually it lost the single-barrel designation, but is alleged to still be a relatively "small batch" or "select barrels" product. Along with a number of other brands, it floated from Seagram's to Old Prentice to Sazerac where it remains today, produced by Buffalo Trace. Interestingly enough, when Sazerac bought Benchmark and Eagle Rare in 1989, they didn't have their own distillery yet, so the two brands were temporarily contract produced by Heaven Hill ...