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David Nicholson 1843 vs Eagle Rare 12 Year
David Nicholson 1843 and Eagle Rare 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a blender-built, wheat-forward bottling versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | David Nicholson 1843 | Eagle Rare 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | Not disclosed | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +5 proof | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$25 – $35 ~$35 less | ~$50 – $80 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- David Nicholson 1843 and Eagle Rare 12 Year do not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
David Nicholson 1843
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Eagle Rare 12 Year
Top 3, behind George T. Stagg and Jack Daniel's 14.
Flavor Profile
David Nicholson 1843 Eagle Rare 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 4/7 oak: David Nicholson 1843 4 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
spice 3/5 spice: David Nicholson 1843 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: David Nicholson 1843 4 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: David Nicholson 1843 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 4 out of 10
sweetness 7/7 sweetness: David Nicholson 1843 7 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: David Nicholson 1843 5 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- David Nicholson 1843: A long-running wheated label at 100 proof. Smooth vanilla and caramel with a soft, bready body and a touch more spice than you would expect from a wheater.
- Eagle Rare 12 Year: Two more years and five more proof points than Eagle Rare 10. Brown sugar and toffee lead, with a drier, more astringent oak finish.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with David Nicholson 1843 if you want a smooth, 100-proof wheater with a long history at a significantly lower price point and without hunting for it.
- Go with Eagle Rare 12 Year if you want an older, richer step up from Eagle Rare 10 with more brown sugar and oak.
Best enjoyed rocks, old-fashioned, cocktails (David Nicholson 1843); neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 12 Year).