The Very First Bottle of Eagle Rare’s Incredibly Coveted 25-Year-Old Bourbon Is Heading to Auction

(Photo: Eagle Rare)

Months after the unveiling of Eagle Rare 25 Year Old, Buffalo Trace has announced that the first of only 200 bottles will go on sale in an unexpected form.

Buffalo Trace is sending a single bottle of Eagle Rare’s oldest whiskey to date to be auctioned on BlockBar, the leading marketplace for spirits-based NFTs. In addition to the coveted bourbon, which can either be redeemed for a physical bottle or kept as an NFT, the winner of the auction will receive an overnight stay at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, complete with a VIP tasting and private dinner.

For those hoping to snatch up a collector’s piece, the lot is set to close on June 28. In contrast to a regular bottle of Eagle Rare 25, which hit the market at a suggested retail price of $10,000, the auction has already crept up to $32,000.

Buffalo Trace last collaborated with BlockBar in 2022 to auction five Old Fashioned Copper Vintage Bourbons for charity. Distilled in 1982 and bottled in gargantuan 6-liter jugs, the collection ended up netting $280,000 for organizations including the World Central Kitchen, the James Beard Foundation and the Elton John Aids Foundation.

“Eagle Rare 25 – 2023 Release is a testament to the pioneering and innovative approach of the Buffalo Trace team,” BlockBar COO Jamie Ritchie said in a news release. “To create an American whiskey of this depth and complexity, that has been aged for over a quarter of a century, is an exceptional achievement and makes these bottles both rare and sought-after. We are delighted to be able to share bottle number one of just 200 with our growing community.”

Within the burgeoning spirits-NFT genre, BlockBar has emerged as the platform of choice for brands hoping to cash in on the much-hyped crypto market. Bottles from Hennessy, Patron Tequila and Johnnie Walker can all be found side by side with prices ranging from the low hundreds into the six figures.

Eagle Rare 25 may very well reach into the higher side of the spectrum. First announced at the end of last year, the spirit marks the inaugural release from Buffalo Trace’s experimental Warehouse P. Designed to protect barrels from evaporation in the sweltering Kentucky heat, the climate-controlled complex could in theory deliver some of the market’s oldest bourbons in years to come.

Eagle Rare 25 Year Old Tasting Notes, Per the Brand

• Color: Golden Brown
• Nose: Intense cherry, oak, dark chocolate and an icing drizzle beginning on the nose
• Taste: Vanilla, dark fruit and butterscotch
• Finish: Lingering notes of rickhouse floor, baking spice and black pepper

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