Skip to main content

Buffalo Trace’s oldest Eagle Rare bourbon is up for auction

The first numbered bottle of Eagle Rare is going for more than $25,000

Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace is probably the biggest name in whiskey — if not the biggest name in rare spirits — and it is responsible for iconic and highly desirable releases like Pappy Van Winkle which have collectors tripping over themselves to get their hands on a bottle. Last year, Buffalo Trace released the oldest expression yet of its Eagle Rare bourbon, in a batch of just 200 bottles that were snapped up immediately.

Recommended Videos

Now, there’s an even rarer version of Eagle Rare for collectors to salivate over: The very first bottle of the expression, numbered “one,” which is currently up for auction. The auction started at a substantial $10,000, and has already climbed to an eye-watering $28,000 on the auction site BlockBar.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Buffalo Trace with a genuinely groundbreaking bottling,” said Jamie Ritchie, chief operating officer at BlockBar. “Eagle Rare 25 – 2023 Release is a testament to the pioneering and innovative approach of the Buffalo Trace team. 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, who have already shown their enthusiasm for library releases direct from the Buffalo Trace distillery.”

The hefty price tag covers not only the bottle but also a trip for two to visit the Buffalo Trace distillery, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, that includes a guided tour and a VIP tasting along with a luxury dinner from a private chef.

The auction runs until June 28.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
Old Commonwealth Distillery to revive D.H. Cromwell Bourbon
Old Commonwealth Distillery is rereleasing Dirty Helen Cromwell Bourbon
Old Commonwealth Distillery

In 2000, a liquor retailer named Gordon Jackson won a barrel of 15-year-old bourbon from Julian Van Winkle (yes, that Van Winkle family) and decided to bottle and sell it under the name "Dirty Helen" Cromwell Bourbon. It was such a hit that it's being rereleased twenty-five years later by Old Commonwealth Distillery.
D.H. Cromwell Bourbon

For those unaware, Helen Cromwell was born in 1886. She was a sex worker, madam, and owner of the infamous Sunflower Inn located in Milwaukee in the 20s and 40s, a bar that only served whiskey and nothing else. She was also known for her colorful, crude language, earning her the nickname "Dirty Helen".

Read more
The newest addition to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is E. H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
E. H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon is set to join a series of highly covet whiskeys
Buffalo Trace

Avid whiskey drinkers (especially bourbon fans) eagerly await the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Released every fall by the iconic Kentucky-based distillery, Antique Collection is a set of highly coveted, rare whiskeys. Recently, the brand announced that the newest addition would be E. H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon.
2025 BTAC Collection

E. H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon will join Eagle Rare17-Year-Old Bourbon, George T. Stagg Bourbon, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, Sazerac 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, and William Larue Weller Bourbon in the 2025 BTAC Collection. It’s the first new addition to the set since Thomas H. Handy was added in 2006.

Read more
NBA legend Dominique Wilkins is teaming up with Old Fourth Distillery to launch a whiskey
Dominique Wilkins is partnering with an Atlanta-based distillery to launch his own bourbon
Old Fourth

If you're a younger NBA fan, you might not know how amazing it was to watch Dominique Wilkins play in the 80s and 90s. He was referred to as "The Human Highlight Film" and was named to nine all-star teams during his career.

He was well-known for his gravity-defying dunks. Now, he'll be known for a limited edition whiskey. The NBA legend is partnering with Atlanta's Old Fourth Distillery to launch a whiskey aptly named Nique's Batch.
Old Fourth Nique's Batch

Read more