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Eagle Rare 12 Year vs Blanton’s Single Barrel
Eagle Rare 12 Year and Blanton’s Single Barrel sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Eagle Rare 12 Year | Blanton’s Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) +2 proof | 93 proof (46.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$50 – $80 ~$50 less | ~$80 – $150 |
- Eagle Rare 12 Year and Blanton’s Single Barrel do not publish an official mash bill.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
Eagle Rare 12 Year
Top 3, behind George T. Stagg and Jack Daniel's 14.
Blanton’s Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Eagle Rare 12 Year Blanton’s Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 7/6 sweetness: Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
spice 5/6 spice: Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
oak 7/6 oak: Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
heat 5/4 heat: Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 4 out of 10
nuttiness 4/3 nuttiness: Eagle Rare 12 Year 4 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 3 out of 10
fruit 6/6 fruit: Eagle Rare 12 Year 6 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
These two land close together on every flavor axis — the differences are in texture and proof more than character.
- 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.
- Blanton’s Single Barrel: The bottle that invented the single-barrel category and still trades largely on its horse-stopper cork and its scarcity. The whiskey itself is genuinely good — honeyed and citrus-led with nutmeg spice — but at secondary prices you are paying for the bottle as much as the pour.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Eagle Rare 12 Year if you want an older, richer step up from Eagle Rare 10 with more brown sugar and oak at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with Blanton’s Single Barrel if you want the original single-barrel presentation and a honeyed, citrus-led profile, and the hunt is part of the appeal.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 12 Year); neat, rocks (Blanton’s Single Barrel).