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Old Forester 1870 Original Batch vs Eagle Rare 12 Year
Old Forester 1870 Original Batch and Eagle Rare 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Old Forester 1870 Original Batch | Eagle Rare 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) +5 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$45 – $55 ~$15 less | ~$50 – $80 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Eagle Rare 12 Year does 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
Old Forester 1870 Original Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Eagle Rare 12 Year
Top 3, behind George T. Stagg and Jack Daniel's 14.
Flavor Profile
Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Eagle Rare 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 5/7 oak: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 5 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
nuttiness 2/4 nuttiness: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 2 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 4 out of 10
spice 4/5 spice: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 4 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 7/7 sweetness: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 7 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 6/6 fruit: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch 6 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 6 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- Old Forester 1870 Original Batch: The first bottle in Old Forester's Whiskey Row Series, recreating the founder's habit of blending barrels from three warehouses. It is the lightest of the series, caramel sweet and easy.
- 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 Old Forester 1870 Original Batch if you want the gentlest, most easygoing pour in the Whiskey Row Series at a 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 neat, rocks, highball (Old Forester 1870 Original Batch); neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 12 Year).